(Charlotte, NC – April 2, 2012) National Children’s Oral Health Foundation: America’s ToothFairy® (NCOHF) is pleased to announce Indiana University School of Dentistry (IUSD) has been named the 2012 Affiliate of the Year. Presented annually to a member of the NCOHF affiliate network, the Affiliate of the Year Award recognizes exemplary commitment to eliminating pediatric dental disease. IUSD pediatric dentistry professors Drs. Judith Chin and Joan Kowolik accepted the honor during the America’s ToothFairy Celebration of Smiles at the Chicago Hyatt Regency on February 23, 2012.
“The IU School of Dentistry is proud of its affiliation with NCOHF and is delighted to be recognized by the foundation,” said John Williams Jr., DMD, MBA, Dean and NCOHF Board Member. “Since 2008, the foundation has awarded IUSD more than $368,000 in financial grants and donated dental supplies and equipment, which has enabled us to provide care to youngsters in greatest need at the school, throughout Indiana, and in several other nations by way of our International Service-Learning Program.”
The Affiliate of the Year designation honors IUSD and spotlights the students and faculty who promote preventive dentistry and work tirelessly to improve and maintain children’s oral health, say Judith Chin, DDS, MS, recipient of the grants awarded to IUSD by the NCOHF to date; and Joan Kowolik, BDS, LDS, RCS, the school’s Director of Predoctoral Pediatric Dentistry. “Because of NCOHF, we have been able to provide treatment to many children whose families do not have the financial freedom to pursue regular dental care,” added Dr. Chin.
IUSD actively participates in NCOHF programs such as Tomorrow’s SMILES®, Students United for America’s ToothFairy™ and Trick or Treat for America’s ToothFairy to reach more at-risk youth with critical oral health services.
“We are honored to recognize the tremendous commitment of the faculty and students of Indiana University School of Dentistry to expanding access to life-changing oral health services for underserved children,” remarked Fern Ingber, NCOHF President and CEO. “Their dedication and tireless efforts help ensure children of the most vulnerable populations have the building blocks they need for healthy futures.”
National Children’s Oral Health Foundation, known as America’s ToothFairy, was formed in 2006 in an aggressive response to eliminate pediatric dental disease by providing community programs with the comprehensive resources to deliver vital educational, preventive, and treatment services to children of the most vulnerable populations. NCOHF has delivered nearly $10 million in direct funding, donated dental products and educational resources to its non-profit Affiliate network and community programs throughout North America reaching millions of children with oral health services.
About Indiana University School of Dentistry
Located on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus, the IU School of Dentistry is one of the oldest dental schools in the U.S. and has more than 12,000 living alumni who are pursuing careers throughout the nation and in more than 30 other countries. As Indiana’s only dental school, it has educated about 85 percent of the state’s dentists. The school’s mission is to advance the oral health and general overall health of the people of Indiana and others worldwide through excellence in teaching and learning, research and creative activities, patient care, civic engagement and service.
About National Children’s Oral Health Foundation: America’s ToothFairy®
National Children’s Oral Health Foundation: America’s ToothFairy (NCOHF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, dedicated to raising awareness of the #1 chronic childhood illness: pediatric dental disease, facilitating the delivery of comprehensive oral health services and eliminating this preventable disease from future generations. NCOHF: America’s ToothFairy draws on vast national resources to secure and distribute product and financial donations along with innovative preventive programs to a growing network of university and community-based dental clinics, health centers, mobile and outreach programs throughout America. For more information about NCOHF: America’s ToothFair, please visit www.AmericasToothfairy.org.
