DentaQuest Foundation Grant Funds DC Area Campaign Promoting Children’s Oral Health
(Charlotte, NC – November 17, 2011) National Children’s Oral Health Foundation: America’s ToothfairyÒ (NCOHF) is launching a campaign designed to raise awareness of the importance of oral health and promote healthy behaviors among families in the greater Washington, DC metro area.
Funded by a grant from the DentaQuest Foundation, Oral Health Matters: An Oral Health Social Marketing Campaign, combined with the establishment of a collaborative community effort to promote children’s oral health, centers on community programs and media messages that stress oral health’s inextricable link with children’s overall health, future success and the economic impact on the community. NCOHF is working with Howard University and area stakeholders to raise awareness of the importance of oral health through delivery of simple, effective messaging focused on prevention and effecting behavioral change in oral health. The implementation of the media campaign and the expansion of the NCOHF Oral Health ZoneÒ in the DC area will provide the blueprint for other locales across the nation. The goal is to facilitate oral health education and prevention strategies across North America in a united community effort to diminish the burden that poor oral health places on American resources and productivity, school systems, military preparedness, the economy and future workforce.
“We are very grateful to the DentaQuest Foundation for their generous leadership funding of Oral Health Matters,” said Fern Ingber, NCOHF President and CEO. “By disseminating prolific, hard-hitting media messages and collaborating with community partners to provide innovative educational programs, this Campaign will begin to effectively break the cycle of disease and change oral health perceptions in the DC area.”
Founded in 2006 to address the growing epidemic of pediatric dental disease, NCOHF supports innovative oral health programming and delivery of comprehensive care to at-risk children through a national Affiliate network of community-based oral health clinics and outreach programs. NCOHF has delivered nearly $10 million in direct funding, donated dental products and educational resources to the growing Affiliate network through the generosity of dedicated supporters enabling Affiliates to reach over 1 million children with vital preventive, restorative, and educational oral health services.
About the DentaQuest Foundation
Committed to the support and promotion of optimal oral health for all, the DentaQuest Foundation works in collaboration with local, state and national partners to reduce health inequities, promote prevention, foster civic engagement and influence systems that promote oral health beyond the clinical setting. For more information, please visit www.dentaquestfoundation.org.
About National Children’s Oral Health Foundation: America’s Toothfairy (NCOHF)
National Children’s Oral Health Foundation: America’s Toothfairyâ (NCOHF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, dedicated to raising awareness of the #1 chronic childhood illness: pediatric dental disease, facilitating delivery of comprehensive pediatric oral health services, and eliminating this preventable disease from future generations. NCOHF draws on vast national resources to secure and distribute product and financial donations along with innovative preventive programs to a growing network of not-for-profit university and community based dental clinics, health centers, and mobile programs throughout America. Oral Health Matters: An Oral Health Social Marketing Campaign supports the Oral Health Zone Programâ developed by NCOHF to guide community leaders in sharing information, developing a strategy and identifying the human and financial resources needed to combat pediatric dental disease.
For more information about NCOHF, the Oral Health Zone Programâ and Oral Health Matters: An Oral Health Social Marketing Campaign, please visit www.AmericasToothfairy.org
