Smiles Across America Welcomes New Grantees

Smiles Across America® (SAA)

launched partnerships with four

new school-based and school-linked

dental care programs this fall: CHS

Healthcare in Collier County, FL, Oral

Health Across the Commonwealth

in Springfield, MA, Community

Health Center of Southeast Kansas in

Pittsburg, KS, and Smiles Across Pinal

County in Mesa, AZ.

The CHS Healthcare sealant program is

affiliated with the University of Florida College

of Dentistry and will serve children at five

elementary schools in the Collier County School

District. The program is also supported by the

Ronald McDonald Care Mobile and received a

matching grant from the Walmart Foundation.

Oral Health Across the Commonwealth

provides oral disease prevention services to

children in the Greater Springfield, MA, area

and has a collaborative relationship with

Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.

With the SAA grant, the program will serve

approximately 1,000 additional elementary

school students this year who might not

otherwise have access to dental care. The

program will hire a multilingual oral health

advocate from the community who will

connect with parents outside the school setting

(church groups, community events) to help

them understand the importance of oral health

and the benefits of the school-based services.

The Community Health Center of Southeast

Kansas began its relationship with OHA as

a Smiles Across America Product Donation

Partner, and has now been selected as an SAA

grantee. The Community Health Center will be

expanding its preventive services to schools in

Crawford and Cherokee Counties. Prior to the

SAA funding, the program was at capacity but

with the additional SAA dollars, they are able to

serve more children.

Smiles Across Pinal County, a program affiliated

with A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of

Dentistry and Oral Health will, for the first

time, provide preventive care to children in the

Apache Junction Unified School District. Oral

Health America is proud to help fund the start-

up of this initiative.

Thank you to Trident, 3M ESPE, Ivoclar Vivadent,

Patterson Foundation, Plackers and Pulpdent for

their support of SAA and for helping Oral Health

America continue to “give back.”

oral health americaBriNgiNg healthY moUthS to liFe

fall 201 1

oralhealthamerica.org

OHA’s Wisdom Tooth Project® (WTP) improves the oral health of vulnerable older adults by targeting “caring advisors”: spouses, children, neighbors, and other individuals who play a vital role

in connecting older adults to medical and dental care.

Thanks to a 2011 grant from the DentaQuest Foundation, we have:

• Developedcommunicationstools,includingamonthlye-newsletter,to

keep our stakeholders informed of the project’s progress while soliciting

new ideas and feedback

• Initiatedplanningforamultidisciplinaryeducationalsymposiumin

collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for

Health Policy at Meharry Medical College in Spring 2012

• Developedacollaborativemodelforanonlineportalthatwillconnect

communities with educational and access resources at the national

and local levels

• Ledanonlinefocusgroupof23“caringadvisors”inFlorida,wherewegainedanunderstandingofhow“advisors”currentlyseek

oral health information, how they communicate about oral health, and what kinds of content they’d like covered in an online portal

What’s on the horizon? We are building partnerships with national associations and organizations and beginning to pilot regional

strategiesaswecontinueexploringpossibilitiesforouronlineportal.LookforourcommunicationsinitiativestoeducateAmericans

on the importance of oral health throughout the journey of life. We hope you’ll join us along the way.

honoring chilDren’s Dental health month

target: olDer aDults

OHA and the American Dental Association (ADA)

honored four organizations with the Samuel D. Harris

Award during the ADA’s 152nd Annual Session. The Samuel D. Harris award recognizes programs that demonstrate

the advancement of dentistry for children through efforts that provide

oral health benefits to the public and the profession during February’s

National Children’s Dental Health Month. Grants were awarded based on

creativity, originality and opportunity for replication in other communities.

Congratulations to this year’s honorees:

• CentralJerseyFamilyHealthConsortiumofNorthBrunswick,NJ,forits“Sugar-LessDaytoPreventToothDecay”program

• LouisvilleDentalSocietyinKentuckyforitsSmileKentucky!program

• MaricopaCountyOralHealthLeaders,Advocates,&Resources(MOLAR)ofGlendale,AZ,foritsexpansionoftheNationalChildren’s

DentalHealthMonthprogramintheBoysandGirlsClubsofMetropolitanPhoenix

• SWLACenterforHealthServicesofLakeCharles,LA,foritsOralHealthArtProject

look for the next chilDren’s Dental health month grant rfP in may 2012

Oral Health America kicked off its Fall for Smiles® campaign this September with the release of a public

opinion survey that found that one-third of Americans have cut back on regular dental visits within the

past year. The survey, sponsored by Oral Healthcare Can’t Wait® and Plackers and conducted by Harris Interactive®, also found that a

greater number (47 percent) of large households and those with young children cut back on visits to the dentist. As part of the campaign,

OHA and the Dental Trade Alliance hosted an event on Capitol Hill on September 21. Nearly 100 supporters attended the event to confront

theimpactoforalhealthdisparitiesonournation’shealthandwell-being.U.S.SenatorBenCardin(D-MD)wasrecognizedforhis

leadership in bringing about policy changes that are helping to reduce disparities and increase children’s access to dental care in Maryland

and throughout the country.

Making a tribute gift to OHA is a great way to honor someone important, celebrate a noteworthy accomplishment or team achievement. Whether you want

to give a gift for someone’s birthday,

honor a promotion, or give in memory of

longtimeOHAsupporterBernieBeazley,

making a tribute gift is as simple as going

to oralhealthamerica.org. While you’re

there,checkoutournewTributeBrochure

and read the stories of supporters who

have made tribute gifts in the past.

honor someone sPecial with a

tribute gift

fall for smiles camPaign confronts oral health DisParities on caPitol hill

With the older adult population in this country rapidly increasing—approximately 10,000 Americans will reach

retirement age every day for the next 19 years—addressing the oral health

needs of older adults is more important than ever. OHA created the Wisdom

Tooth Project® to connect, educate, and advocate for the oral health of all

older Americans, especially those most vulnerable. Making a gift to OHA

helps support the Wisdom Tooth Project and other important programs that

bring oral health care and education to Americans of all ages.

through the enD of the year,

your gift can make an even bigger imPact.

Now through Dec. 31, Ivoclar Vivadent will donate 50 cents for every dollar donated to OHA up to $100,000. Take advantage

of this unique opportunity to make your donation go even further.

Visit OHA’s website at www.oralhealthamerica.org to

watch our Wisdom Tooth Project video and to make your gift. For more

information contact Emma@oralhealthamerica.org.

Ivoclar Matches Your GIft

Oral Health America is a registered 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization.

Your gift is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

donate today at

www.oralhealthamerica.org

410 North Michigan Ave. Ste. 352Chicago, Illinois 60611-4253

bringing healthy mouths to life fall newsletter www.oralhealthamerica.org

NONPROFIT U.S. POSTAGE

PAID CHICAGO, IL

PERMIT NO. 7228

oral health america Smile4health

Dear frienDs,

oha makes a difference by funding programs such as oral

health across the commonwealth in Springfield, ma, and a

new school-based program in collier county, Fl.

our support is not just about oha dollars. we are intent on

creating new opportunities for support both nationally and

locally. we are leveraging resources and encouraging our

partners to use oha’s funding to expand services through

effective and efficient collaborations. we are often humbled

by the creativity and dedication of the communities we

support. they strengthen our commitment to ask, and ask

again, for your support!

President and CEO

With gratitude for your gifts,

At OHA, “giving back” is important. The support that we provide to others comes from funds that we raise each year – dollars that go back into vulnerable communities throughout the U.S.

Visit WWW.oralhealthamerica.org

anD Donate toDay

,