There is no substitute for good oral health. Improving your oral health means improving your overall health, as dentists and dental associations across the nation have been promoting for ages. Delta Dental Plans Association and its member companies donate funds every year aimed at community outreach, education, and services which are all geared at promoting the importance of good oral health, especially in children.
Delta Dental Plans Association recently released its 2008 Community Benefit Annual Report. This report shows that Delta Dental's 39 member companies donated more than $62 million in 2007 to support community benefit initiatives that advance and promote oral health. This exceeds the $58 million amount of the previous year. Public benefit support is up more than 290% from 2003's $15.8 million total.
"We are proud of our member companies' growing commitment to improving the quality of life in the communities we serve," said Kim Volk, president and CEO of Delta Dental Plans Association.Every year, new programs are created and supported by Delta Dental's 39 independent member companies and their affiliated foundations which advance solutions for better oral health in America. These programs focus on such issues as expanding access to care for the under and uninsured, reversing the nation’s growing dentist shortage, advancing dental science and technologies, and preventing dental disease.
Orange County dentists like those at OC Dental Center in Santa Ana, California have also recognized the nation’s need and benefit from programs such as these, especially for the children. Children covered by Medicaid are much less likely to receive dental care than children with private health insurance, according to a report released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. In 2005, an estimated 6.5 million Medicaid eligible children ages 2 through 18 suffered from untreated tooth decay. Children who suffer from subpar dental health and do not learn ways to take care of their teeth are more likely to continue having bad or untreated dental problems as they grow older. Tooth decay in children or later in life can lead to expensive dental restoration procedures such as, in some OC Dental Center patients, Orange County dental implants.
Delta Dental’s member companies have been striving to narrow the gap between children who need and receive dental care by providing free care to
under and uninsured children. Free care includes regular dental check-ups, badly needed treatment, oral health education and even transportation to
and from dental appointments. Through a partnership with the National Head Start Association, Delta Dental helped treat more than 3,816 uninsured
children in 2008.An estimated 46 million Americans are living in identified Dental Health Profession Shortage Areas and 9,000 additional dentists are needed to fill this gap in care. Delta Dental's member companies support programs that encourage dentists to practice in shortage areas and encourage college students to choose a career in dentistry. Delta Dental’s member companies also help alleviate the cost of dental school by initiating loan repayment programs, scholarships, and grants for students.This also encourages young bright minds to look at and improve upon dental science and technologies, such as less expensive and easier to use composite materials for dental restorations, like composite resins, which are popularly used in Orange County cosmetic dentist procedures such as dental veneers.These are just few examples of what Delta Dental's member companies are doing to improve oral health in their communities. For more information on the dental care offered by OC Dental Center, including general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, restorations, dental veneers Orange County and more, please visit the website or call, 714) 966-9000.To read the original story, please visit the Dental Economics website.
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