ADEA Receives Grant from W.K. Kellogg Foundation to Help Improve the Oral Health of Vulnerable Children

ADEA Receives Grant from W.K. Kellogg Foundation to Help Improve the Oral Health of Vulnerable Children

WASHINGTON, DC—The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) has received a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) to create academic-community partnerships that will improve the lives of children who lack access to dental care. Howard University College of Dentistry, the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, and the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry will participate in the ADEA/WKKF Dental School Outreach Program (ADEA/WKKF DSOP) as pilot institutions.
 
“The ADEA/WKKF DSOP builds on the momentum of other ADEA/WKKF initiatives. These programs are now beginning to yield a new group of individuals and institutions committed to the health needs of children. ADEA is so grateful for the continued support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation,” said ADEA President Ronald J. Hunt, D.D.S.
 
Dental caries is the most prevalent of all childhood illnesses. More than 51 million school hours and 164 million hours of work are lost each year due to dental-related absences. The pilot schools are currently operating as safety-net providers for the poor and underserved. Children in these communities will be reached through the schools’ efforts to partner with community resources. The partnerships will link oral health education with the general health and well-being of children by including activities that build self esteem and enhance career aspirations.
 
Each school will have a project director overseeing the project’s goal, to implant community-based outreach programs that provide dental screening and treatment for vulnerable children. The project will involve dental students as both mentors and role models and an expanded mentoring resource at ExploreHealthCareers.org (www.explorehealthcareers.org <http://www.explorehealthcareers.org/> ) for career information across the health professions.
 
ADEA will provide program oversight as the centralized program office for the 18-month period of the grant. The pilot activities will eventually become integrated into the curriculum objectives related to cultural competency of the three schools. To increase the sustainability of the project, an additional goal of the ADEA/WKKF DSOP is to use the models to impact the capacity of other U.S. dental schools to create outreach activities that improve the health and well-being of children.
 
For more information on ADEA programs designed to improve access to oral health care, visit www.adea.org.
 

 
About the American Dental Education Association

The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) is the voice of dental education. Its members include all U.S. and Canadian dental schools and many allied and postdoctoral dental education programs, corporations, faculty, and students. The mission of ADEA is to lead individuals and institutions of the dental education community to address contemporary issues influencing education, research, and the delivery of oral health care for the health of the public. ADEA’s activities encompass a wide range of research, advocacy, faculty development, meetings, and communications like the esteemed Journal of Dental Education, as well as the dental school admissions services AADSAS and PASS. 

About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Established in 1930, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation supports children, families and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society. Grants are concentrated in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and southern Africa.