Oral Health America believes in creating a good oral health safety net, including prevention programs for children, community water fluoridation programs, leadership in state’s public health departments, surveillance activities, and adult dental benefits. With many states facing budget cuts, it is important to maintain these preventative services both for dental health and to ultimately save money.Click here to find out more about the cost benefits of these services.

Dr. John K. Argeros

Mr. Michael Augins

Dr. Leo F. Baranowski

Dr. Phillip C. Barner

Dr. Vishveshwar S. Batheja

Dr. Barry W. Baumann

Dr. Michael C. Bell

Mrs. Jane Bergeron

Dr. Geoffrey M. Berman

Dr. Sudhir K. Bhatia

Dr. and Mrs. William A. Billingham

Dr. Stephen J. Black

Dr. Gerald A. Bloom, DDS

Ms. Jessica Boatman

Dr. Richard S. Boneville

Dr. Eugene V. Boone

Dr. Ralph Bozza

Dr. Theodore E. Brasky

Dr. Rex E. Brewster

Ms. Madeleine Brooks

Mr. Michael P. Brown

Dr. Daniel T. Brown

Mr. Dave Brown

Mr. David S. Brown

Dr. Richard Callender

Mrs. Lorna Cassano

Dr. Russell S. Chin

Dr. Robert H. Christoffersen

Dr. Thomas J. Clark

Dr. Anthony P. Colandrea, Jr.

Dr. Randy R. Cole

Dr. Stacy V. Cole

Dr. George M. Coleman, Jr.

Dr. Robert A. Cook

Dr. Douglas E. Cowden

Dr. Joseph R. Craig

Dr. Gerald Crane

Mrs. Anna Cronin

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph and Patricia Curley

Dr. Glen L. Davis

DentaQuest

DENTSPLY International

Dr. Ronald G. Downey

Dr. Gerald I. Drury

Dr. Harvey M. Edelman

Dr. Caswell A. Evans

Dr. Joseph R. Evans

Dr. Jamiesue Ferguson

Dr. Thomas F. Fillar

Dr. Joseph J. Fioritto

Dr. Rupert E. Fixott

Dr. Jack Fraider

Dr. James E. Frounfelter

Dr. Daniel B. Fuertges

Dr. William E. Gable, DDS

Dr. George C. Gamboa

Dr. Venelin Ganev

Dr. John F. Gell

Dr. Sami M. Ghareeb

Dr. Richard A. Gilbert

Dr. A. Donald Gilden

Dr. Philip F. M. Gilley, Jr.

Dr. George L. Glick

Dr. Hampton Green, Jr.

Dr. and Mrs. Richard J. Greenspan

Dr. Anthony J. Gugino, Jr.

Dr. Sidney Gutsin

Dr. N. Karl Haden

Dr. Russell H. Hanson

Dr. James A. Harrell, Jr.

Dr. Jordan H. Harris

Ms. Sandra Heavey

Dr. Wayne W. Herman

Dr. Joseph T. Hicken

Dr. Daniel A. Hodges

Dr. Charles M. Holman

Dr. Lewis H. Holtzman

Dr. Alice M. Horowitz

Dr. William L. Huskey

Ms. Debra Jaramillo

Dr. G. Terry Johnson

Dr. Mark M. Johnston

Dr. Brad D. Justesen

Dr. Martin F. Kennedy

Dr. Stephen B. Kern

Dr. Ronald C. Koenig

Dr. George J. Kottemann

Dr. Sui-Yee H. Kow

Kukui Plaza Dental Associates, LLC

Dr. Khin Laij and Dr. Lily Laij

Dr. William M. Lane

Dr. Robert L. Lapinski

Dr. Larry Lentini

Dr. Roderick W. Lewin

Mr. Johar Lokhandwala

Dr. Rochelle Lopyan

Dr. Joann Lovequist

Mrs. Gayle Lukas

Dr. Mark A. Macke

Dr. Richard J. Mantoan

Dr. Daniel S. Maudlin

Dr. F. Patrick McGuire

Dr. Michael S. Mead

Dr. Mark J. Mihalo

Dr. Charles B. Millstein

Dr. Charles L. Milone

Dr. Dale J. Misiek

Dr. Kenneth W. Morris

Dr. Raymond R. Nassimbene

Dr. Richard C. Nelson

Dr. Steven Nielsen

Dr. Joanne R. Oppenheim

Dr. and Mrs. Thomas M. Panitch, DDS

Dr. Robert E. Parker

Dr. John E. Petty

Dr. William R. Proffit

Dr. Ronald W. Rakecky

Dr. William K. Roark

Dr. Abraham Romanowsky

Dr. Jack Rosen

Dr. Algis A. Ruginis

Dr. Arthur J. Sachsel

Dr. Thomas Sawyer and Dr. David Grimm

Dr. Peter R. Scelfo

Miss Robyn Schneider

Dr. Robert A. Schrameyer

Dr. Ennio S. Senia

Dr. James W. Shearer

Dr. Richard S. Sobel

Dr. Otto O. Stevens

Dr. F. Dale Stevens

Ms. Deirdre Suter

Dr. David S. Teufel, DDS

Dr. James S. Torchia

Dr. Lawrence A. Tuttle, DDS

Dr. Alfred H. Underwood, Jr.

Mrs. Lydia Vazquez

Dr. Thomas W. Vinson, Jr.

Dr. Thomas J. Volm

Dr. William P. Walsh

Dr. Richard I. Weaver, DDS

Dr. Michael A. Wernick

Dr. Sidney A. Whitman

Mr. Marcus Williams

Mr. Ryan Williams

Dr. Mark O. Williams

Mr. Bret Wise

Mr. Jeremy Wohl

Dr. John D. Zatko

Dr. Gerald J. Ziebert, DDS

Mr. Steven Zimmerman

Above is a list of donors who gave a gift to Oral Health America between April 14, 2012 and May 10, 2012. If you believe we have omitted your name in error, please accept our apology and contact Emma Harwell, Development Coordinator by phone (312-836-9900) or email (emma@oralhealthamerica.org).

With several Smiles Across America® (SAA) partners attending this year’s National Oral Health Conference, OHA decided to host a dinner to bring all the partners together for an opportunity to network and talk about the program. Board members Dr. Frank Catalanotto and Milly Goldstein spoke during the meal along with OHA President and CEO Beth Truett, sharing information about the progress SAA has made over the past year. Taking advantage of the conference’s location in Milwaukee, OHA also arranged for the SAA partners to tour the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Dental Clinic, which is also a SAA grantee. The clinic functions as the only provider of urgent dental care in Milwaukee for people without insurance except for the BadgerCare Core Plan.

“The Seton Dental Clinic is the dental emergency room for the poor,” said Elizabeth Nelson, Clinic Manager. “Our story started in a leaky basement and has grown to what you see today, a $1 million dollar clinic that provides $1.2 million in services annually to over 12,000 people.”

In addition to the services offered at the clinic, Seton Dental Clinic is the largest provider of school-based services in Wisconsin through its Smart Smiles program, an Oral Health America funded program.

Thank you to the staff at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Dental Clinic for hosting us and to our SAA partners for participating in these special NOHC activities.

May is Older Americans Month, and OHA is committed to the older Americans we all love.  We hope you’ll join us by giving back—and when you do, you’ll have a chance to double your impact. 

This May, June, and July, Henry Schein Inc. and the Henry Schein Cares Foundation will match your gift to OHA, dollar for dollar, up to $50,000.  Take this opportunity to give your gift to OHA today and know that you’re helping change lives for vulnerable Americans of every age.

Our 2011 focus group research involving care advisors helped us narrow down the reasons why oral health issues can move to the back burner for older Americans:

“Other kinds of health may be more important. Some older adults feel that they will lose their teeth one day anyway.”

“The elderly, especially those in pain, become lax about hygiene issues because they just don’t feel like making the effort to brush their teeth.”

“I think most older people don’t look at dental health care as important vs. other kinds of health care.” 

OHA’s Wisdom Tooth Project is working to prioritize oral health among other health concerns by educating, connecting, and advocating for all older Americans.  In 2012, we’re building an online space to connect communities with resources, conducting research to publish a 10^th anniversary edition of A State of Decay:  The Oral Health of Older Americans, supporting direct care initiatives for older adults, and collaborating with several local communities to create positive change.

We’re just getting started, and with your support this month, we can do even more.  Please give to OHA today and rest assured that your donation will be used wisely to make a positive impact on the oral health of Americans in every corner of the country.

OHA and Henry Schein are committed to meeting the oral health needs of the older adults we love.  Are you?

Attention all 2012 Little League baseball and softball players! Oral Health America’s NSTEP® program (National Spit Tobacco Education Program) is teaming with Little League International to launch its 11th annual slogan contest where players have a chance to win a trip to the Little League World Series! Read the full contest press release for more details.

On tonight’s edition of ABC’s World News with Diane Sawyer, a special report  “Hidden America: Medicaid’s Youngest Face Dental Crisis” highlights the tragic case for more than 16 million children on Medicaid not receiving even basic prophylactic dental care during 2009.

Through its Smiles Across America® (SAA) program, Oral Health America is committed to assisting underserved communities across the U.S.  Through SAA, Oral Health America is a partner of America’s Promise, an organization founded by Colin and Alma Powell to improve the lives of children. In 2010, OHA met its commitment to America’s Promise to seal 1 million teeth. SAA is renewing its commitment with a new promise to seal an additional 2 million teeth by 2020.

For more information about tonight’s news, click HERE

Dave Branch

Rudolph Braydich, Jr.

William Beasley

Richard Dakin

Danaher Corp.

Dante Deangelo

DentaQuest Foundation

James Frounfelter

John Gerstenmaier

Richard Gilbert

Heraeus Kulzer, Inc.

Henry Schein Inc.

Ivoclar Vivadent, Inc.

Karwoski & Courage Public Relations

Bertram Kohl

Elvin Krabil

Irving Lieberman

Mt. Arlington Family Dentistry, LLC

Daniel Parrilli

Jay Rudo

Michael Tharp

Charles Tomich

Margo Woll

Above is a list of donors who gave a gift to Oral Health America between February 21, 2012 and March 19, 2012. If you believe we have omitted your name in error, please accept our apology and contact Emma Harwell, Development Coordinator by phone (312-836-9900) or email (emma@oralhealthamerica.org).

From left to right, John Scot Mueller, Dr. Teresa Dolan, and Todd Foege accepting a Gies award on behalf of NCEF.

The Naples Children and Education Foundation (NCEF), nominated by Dean Terri Dolan (UFL School of Dentistry),  received the 2012 William J. Gies Award. According to Richard W. Valachovic, D.M.D., M.P.H., president of the ADEA Gies Foundation and executive director of the American Dental Education Association, the award recognizes NCEF’s “superior demonstration of outstanding vision as public or private partner in support of dental education.” The award received by NCEF is one of nine William J. Gies Awards for Vision, Innovation and Achievement, and was presented in Orlando on March 19 in conjunction with the American Dental Education Association’s annual meeting.

“NCEF trustees are deeply honored to receive this award,” said Bob Scott, NCEF chairman. “With the help of the University of Florida College of Dentistry, Edison State College, CHS Healthcare and the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, NCEF trustees fulfilled a vision of creating the NCEF Pediatric Dental Center in 2008 to address the pediatric oral health crisis in Collier County.”

CHS Healthcare, which supports the NCEF,  is a Smiles Across America® grantee that runs an elementary school-based sealant program in Collier County.

The impetus for the center came from a 2005 needs assessment commissioned by NCEF that revealed an estimated 17,000 children in the county lacked adequate dental care, a proven formula for severe tooth decay, pain and disruption in children’s ability to learn. To date, the center has provided care through more than 29,000 patient visits.

“The severity of the dental disease observed at the center, particularly the rampant disease in children under the age of five, is unlike anything the clinicians have ever seen,” said Teresa A. Dolan, D.D.S., M.P.H., professor and dean of the University of Florida College of Dentistry. “NCEF’s commitment to the oral health and well-being of disadvantaged children is unwavering, and the organization is making a significant difference in the lives of these children.”

We’ve joined forces with Henry Schein and the Henry Schein Cares Foundation (HSCF) to shine a spotlight on Older Americans Month this May. When you make a gift between now and July of this year, the Henry Schein Cares Foundation will match your gift dollar for dollar – up to $50,000! You can give by mail, by phone, or online – just make sure to specify that you’d like your gift to go toward the HSCF matching gift. Or take advantage of a brand new option and donate to OHA through Henry Schein Inc. Details about how to process this donation are featured on page 42 of the Henry Schein May sales flyer. Use the following codes to make your gift:

117-1670   $25         117-1671   $50         117-1672   $100         117-1673   $200

Join OHA in improving the health of all Americans – throughout the life cycle. Your gift will help foster healthy mouths for healthy lives – especially for those most vulnerable.