Bowling Green, Ohio, Feb. 2015 — Wood County Health District recently received $2500 from the Delta Dental Foundation through its Brighter Futures Community Grant Program. The funding will help promote oral health education in several schools in Wood County during National Children’s Dental Health Month.
Dental care is the number one unmet health care need for nearly 157,400 children of all family incomes across Ohio as well as for all races and ethnicities (Ohio Department of Health (ODH) (2011). In fact, almost 486,000 of Ohio’s children are without dental insurance and almost 340,000 children in Ohio have never been to the dentist. In Wood County, 21% of children under 18 have not had a dental visit in the last year, 9.1% have never visited a dentist, 14 % do not have dental insurance and 4.4% could not receive needed dental care according to the Ohio Oral Health Surveillance System (2012). According to the Centers for Disease Control (2013), tooth decay is the most common chronic disease of children aged 6 to 11 years (25%), and adolescents aged 12 to 19 years (59%). The Ohio Department of Health cites that 51 percent of Ohio children have experienced tooth decay by 3rd grade.
“Developing good habits such as daily tooth brushing with fluoridated toothpaste at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits helps children to get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums,” said health educator, Jennifer Campos. “That is why our program will focus on age-appropriate educational outreach materials and distribution of oral health care supplies.”
Grant recipients were selected based on a number of criteria including the number of at-risk children or adults served by the program, the program’s uniqueness, the level of community involvement in the program and the ability to measure results.
“Through our Brighter Futures grant program, we provided a total of $250,000 in small community grants to organizations in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana that are dedicated to improving the oral and overall health of children and adults,” said Teri Battaglieri, director, Delta Dental Foundation. “We are very proud to recognize the work being done by Wood County Health District by selecting it as one of our grant recipients.”
Established in 2012, Delta Dental’s Brighter Futures initiative is dedicated to improving the oral and overall health and wellbeing of children and adults across the state through education, advocacy and philanthropy.
About Wood County Health District
The Wood County Health District provides numerous services to the community, including comprehensive medical services for men, women and children. Our Health and Wellness Center welcomes all patients and accepts most third party insurances, including uninsured or underinsured clients regardless of ability to pay. The mission of Wood County Health District is to take the initiative to facilitate opportunities for Wood County residents to lead healthy lives. The Health District is located at 1840 E. Gypsy Lane Rd. in Bowling Green. Normal office hours are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, with late hours and satellite clinics available. The Wood County Board of Health meetings are generally held on the second Thursday at 7:00 pm at the Wood County Health District and are open to the public.
About Delta Dental Foundation
The Delta Dental Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization established in 1980, which serves as the philanthropic arm of Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and North Carolina. 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. For more information, visit www.deltadentaloh.com.
