AETNA Grant Promotes Collaborative Efforts to Improve Oral Health
AETNA GRANT PROMOTES COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE ORAL HEALTHCHICAGO—Oral Health America is the recipient of a $50,000 grant from Aetna in support of two of the organization’s programs—the National Periodontal Disease Project (NPDP) and Smiles Across America® program. NPDP collaborates
AETNA GRANT PROMOTES COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE ORAL HEALTH
CHICAGO—Oral Health America is the recipient of a $50,000 grant from Aetna in support of two of the organization’s programs—the National Periodontal Disease Project (NPDP) and Smiles Across America® program. NPDP collaborates with dental educators, corporations, and advocates to increase interaction between medical and dental care providers in managing and treating periodontal (gum) disease in older Americans. Smiles Across America supports school oral health services for over 115,000 children who generally do not have routine dental visits.
“Aetna originally got involved in the NPDP because of the company’s interest in the integration of health services, including medical and dental care. We are interested in groups like Oral Health America that are similarly aligned in looking at the connection between oral health and systemic health care issues,” said Mary Lee Conicella, DMD, National Director of Clinical Operations, Aetna Dental, and Oral Health America Board Member.
The NPDP annual symposium invites medical and dental care professionals to discuss opportunities for collaboration. This year’s event, to be held in October at the New York Academy of Sciences, will focus on periodontal disease in the geriatric population and provide a framework for how dentists and physicians can work together on patient care.
Beth Truett, Oral Health America’s President and CEO, extended her thanks to Aetna for serving as generous donor and partner in this effort. “Changing the paradigm of patient care in this country is a welcome challenge for those of us who are passionate about the issue of oral health. Aetna is committed to helping to make the link between a healthy mouth and a healthy body, and ensuring that patients get the care they need. We are grateful for their support and we share their vision.”
“The work that Oral Health America is doing to raise awareness of the oral and systemic health connections will lead the public to ask their dentists about it,” added Dr. Conicella.
Oral Health America improves public health by eliminating oral disease, especially for our most vulnerable citizens, by educating and empowering communities to provide access to care, and advocating for policies that create oral health parity. To find out how you can participate, visit www.oralhealthamerica.org.
About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.5 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com.
