April 07, 2004

By: Geraldine Hewitt
Website: http://www.teeth-whitening-smiles.com

Oral Health – Government Grant Allows For Greater Oral Health Education

The AAPD recently received a five-year, $500,000 grant to integrate oral heath into the growing national focus on adolescent health and engage the dental community to address adolescent health issues in a program called Youthful Smiles.

The grant was awarded through the Partners in Program Planning for Adolescent Health program administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau Through Youthful Smiles, the AAPD will form a coalition of national organizations representing dentistry, public health, policy and resource centers, family, and even adolescents themselves.

The grant will develop a knowledge base on all aspects of adolescent issues related to dentistry including:

• 1) behaviors and use of services,
• 2) care systems and financing of care,
• 3) effectiveness of public programs that target teens, and
• 4) how oral health impacts teens’ general health, social development, and personal well-being.

A variety of educational materials summarizing these findings will be distributed to participating coalition organizations for dissemination. Beyond the coalition, the AAPD will integrate oral health into the work of other professional groups that serve adolescents, including other PIPPAH grantees.

One of the key aims of the PIPPAH grant program is to facilitate collaboration across disciplines and professional organizations that work with adolescents and their families. Additionally, the AAPD will disseminate information on actions adolescents can take to maintain health and prevent oral disease to the public through an oral health education campaign being conducted simultaneously by the AAPD Foundation.

We are thrilled to have received this grant. With the explosion of scholarly attention to adolescent health, we realized that dentistry needs to step up and do its part to address this important issue, of which oral health is an integral component, stated Dr. John S. Rutkauskas, Executive Director of the AAPD.

Understanding all of the factors that impact adolescent oral health and working collaboratively with dental and non-dental professionals will ensure a more comprehensive and effective plan of action for improving the health of America's adolescents.

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry is the professional specialty organization of 4,900 pediatric dentist members dedicated to improving and maintaining the oral health of infants, children, adolescents, and persons with special health care needs.

Pediatric dentists complete two to three years of additional specialized training that includes study in child psychology, growth, and development. Their specialization allows them to provide children with the most up-to-date thorough treatment in private offices, clinics, and hospital settings.

Author Notes:

Geraldine Hewitt contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.teeth-whitening-smiles.com.  Everything you need to know to get a whiter, brighter smile!