5 New Grants Part of 10-Year $10 Million Oral Health Project

(DENVER) -- The Caring for Colorado Foundation (CFC) is providing five $100,000 grants to community health centers, safety-net dental clinics, and non-profit organizations as part of its 10-year, $10 million Oral Health Improvement Project.
CFC's Oral Health Improvement Project is designed to increase access to oral health services for the underserved statewide. Grants help increase the long-term capacity of the oral-health safety net and target oral disease prevention in children. According to the Centers for Disease Control:

• Tooth decay (dental caries) is the most common chronic disease of childhood.
•  Only 1 in 3 of all U.S. school children and only 1 in 5 of children in families with low incomes has received dental sealants.
• In the United States, 53 million children and adults have untreated tooth decay in their permanent teeth.
• African American and Mexican American adults have twice the amount of untreated decay as non-Hispanic whites.
•  One-fourth of U.S. adults aged 65 years and older have lost all of their teeth
  CFC Oral Health Grantees are:

Centennial Area Health Education Center, $99,990
Cheyenne, Lincoln, Kit Carson, Yuma, Washington, Phillips and Sedgwick counties
To provide school-based dental screenings, fluoride treatments, dental sealants and referral to a dental home for children in pre-school through third grade.

Marillac Clinic $100,000
Mesa County
To provide pediatric dental services to young children in Mesa County.

Sunrise Community Health Center $100,000
Weld and Larimer Counties
To provide dental care to pregnant women and young children at the Monfort Family Clinic and Monfort Children's Clinic.

Plains Medical Center $100,000
Lincoln, Elbert, Kit Carson, Arapahoe and Adams counties
To provide dental care to children and adults at Plains Medical Center's dental clinics in Limon and Strasburg.

Western Colorado Area Health Education Center $100,000
Delta, Garfield Hinsdale and Montrose counties and the Southern Ute Indian Reservation
To provide school-based dental screenings, fluoride treatments, dental sealants and referral to a dental home for children in pre-school through third grade.

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