National Museum of Dentistry has been awarded a Give Kids A Smile Champion

Grant from the ADA Foundation to enhance children’s oral health, particularly

those from low-income families. An additional award was given by the DentaQuest

Foundation to help provide every first grader in Baltimore City public schools

with educational resources to ensure good oral health practices.

“We decided to look in our own backyard and test a program that will intercept

every child in Baltimore City early enough to teach oral health life skills

that will change how they view and take care of their teeth,” said National

Museum of Dentistry Executive Director Jonathan Landers.

The Museum will be taking its signature oral health education

program—MouthPower—into the Baltimore City schools to help young people learn

the importance of good oral health in a healthy life. The Museum will

distribute MouthPower oral health kits, including tip posters and educational

CD-ROMS, to every first grade classroom, as well as tip cards about how to

brush and floss to 6,500 students. The program will also provide toothbrushes

and toothpaste for the children to continue practicing what they’ve learned at

home. The program will also offer subsidized field trips to the Museum for

first-grade classes most in need of financial assistance.

The MouthPower educational program explores how to brush and floss, why to say

no to tobacco, and how to make healthy food choices. It has been used by the

Maryland State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Baltimore City Head

Start to educate children during National Children’s Dental Health month, as

well as organizations nationally to support oral health education initiatives.

More than 5,000 students also encounter the program on site during field trips

to the Museum each year.

“Unfortunately,  many Baltimore City students–who are most in need of our

programs–cannot afford to access them,” said Landers. “These grants will help

provide every first grade teacher and student with oral health education

resources in their classroom and will provide an opportunity for the most ‘in-need’

first grade classes to visit the museum without charge.”

Give Kids A Smile (GKAS) Champion Grantees are established national initiatives

who collaborate with Give Kids A Smile to enhance children’s oral health. The

goal of the grant is to provide a competitive funding opportunity to for GKAS

Program Champions to receive support for initiatives that uphold the Give Kids

A Smile vision. Give Kids A Smile is an annual program of the American Dental

Association that works with thousands of the nation’s dentists and their dental

team members to provide free oral health care services to children from

low-income families.

The National Museum of Dentistry also received a grant from DentaQuest

Foundation to support this program as an early intervention tool that will

impact not only those children that are able to visit the Museum, but take

these critical lessons into the classroom. The Museum’s work directly relates

to the DentaQuest Foundation’s mission to promote and support optimal oral

health.

The State of Maryland’s Office of Oral Health will also provide toothpaste and

children’s toothbrushes to distribute to the classrooms, as well as a magnet

with a phone number families can call for assistance in locating a dentist.  

 
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF DENTISTRYSee amazing teeth feats, marvel at George Washington’s choppers, sing along

to vintage toothpaste commercials, and discover fascinating hands-on

exhibitions about the power of a healthy smile. Enjoy field trips, home school

days, special events, and more. An Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution,

this one-of-a-kind museum is located at 31 South Greene Street, a short walk

from the Inner Harbor. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, and students

with ID, $3 for children age 3-19; and free for age 2 & under and active

duty military & immediate family. Open Wednesday–Saturday 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

and Sunday 1–4 p.m. Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, and major holidays. Call

410/706-0600 or visit www.smile-experience.org.

 
ADA FOUNDATIONThe ADA Foundation is a catalyst for connecting people and changing lives.

In its history, the ADA Foundation has disbursed nearly $36.5 million dollars

to support charitable activities. These include grants for dental research and

access to care, awards and scholarships. In addition, the ADA Foundation

supports Charitable Assistance Programs such as relief grants to dentists and

their dependents that are unable to support themselves due to injury, a medical

condition or advanced age; and grants to dentists who are victims of disasters.

For more information, visit www.adafoundation.org

 
DENTAQUEST FOUNDATIONThe DentaQuest Foundation invests in national and community-based efforts

to improve oral health for all Americans through its support of prevention and

access to oral health care, and through its partnerships with funders,

policymakers, and community leaders.  For more information, please visit

dentaquestfoundation.org.  The DentaQuest Foundation is supported by

DentaQuest.  DentaQuest is a leading oral health company, administering

prevention-focused dental benefits to nearly 15 million individuals across the

United States.