Delta Dental Foundation Gives Grant to Ottawa County’s Miles of Smiles Mobile Dental Program

June 20, 2007 (Okemos, Mich.) — The Delta Dental Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, recently donated $10,000 to Ottawa County Health Department’s Miles of Smiles mobile dental outreach program that serves the western Michigan county. The donation was made in conjunction with a grant from the West Michigan Dental Foundation.

The Miles of Smiles program operates from a customized 40-foot dental unit on wheels that provides preventive and restorative dental services to children of low-income, at-risk populations in Ottawa County who do not otherwise have access to dental care. The mobile dental unit includes a waiting area, laboratory, two dental operatory stations, two X-ray machines and a wheelchair lift for handicapped accessibility.

“We are eternally grateful to the Delta Dental Foundation and the West Michigan Dental Foundation for their continued support of Miles of Smiles,” said Lois Havermans, RDH, CHES, Oral Health Team Supervisor, Ottawa County Health Department. “Without their financial assistance, hundreds of dentally underserved children would not have the opportunity to enjoy improved oral health.”

Haverman said that Miles of Smiles is the best example of a community collaborative effort that she could ever envision with a volunteer network of over 100 dentists, hygienists and, dental and dental hygiene students.

Miles of Smiles reports an average 38 percent reduction in tooth decay for those they serve. The program has also received national recognition for its innovative approach to addressing a major health problem for low-income, uninsured children.

“Miles of Smiles has helped improve the oral health of over 17,000 children in Ottawa County,” said Nancy E. Hostetler, senior vice president of the Delta Dental Foundation. “We are pleased to support a program that shares our goal of improving access to oral health services for those in greatest need.”

The Delta Dental Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization established in 1980 by Delta Dental of Michigan, which also operates Delta Dental of Ohio and Delta Dental of Indiana. The Foundation’s goals are to support education and research for the advancement of dental science and to promote the oral health of the public through education and service activities, particularly for those with special needs.