By Ralph Fuccillo, President of the DentaQuest Foundation
Health outcomes have improved vastly over the past few years for many Americans, especially when it comes to infant mortality and life expectancy. However, significant health inequities still persist in this country and oral health is no exception.
According to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, more than 50 million Americans are living in areas with insufficient dental care.Tooth decay is still the most common childhood disease. Good oral health is the gateway to a person’s overall health and wellness, so without access to care or education, preventable ailments like dental caries and gum disease can build up to become more painful and costly than necessary.
In 2015, it’s unacceptable that these inequities exist, and that people are suffering from diseases that are preventable. That’s why the DentaQuest Foundation, along with our ever-growing network of grantees and partners, has made it our mission to reach the people who do not have access to regular care due to their race, age, income, language, health literacy and geographic location. We believe everyone should have the same opportunity to live a healthy life, and with nearly 83 million people in the United States facing dental care barriers, we still have a lot of work to do.
To drive our mission forward, we recently launched the Grassroots Engagement Strategy, a grant-making initiative supporting local, community based organizations. This initiative supports our Oral Health 2020 goal of changing the public perception of oral health - helping people realize that dental pain, tooth loss and restoration don’t have to be facts of life or just an accepted part of getting older.
We’re working to create a new social norm where people can expect oral health. If we want to #expectoralhealth, the changes we need must be driven by those most impacted when the existing systems fail. Earlier this year, we selected 20 community-based organizations in six states including Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Virginia, to receive two $50,000 grants over the next year. The grantee organizations range from direct service providers to civic engagement and advocacy organizations, all of which are already active in promoting health equity and the pursuit of social justice for a diverse number of populations. The grants will fund these organizations to analyze the oral health landscape in their communities, enact a plan to engage stakeholders on a local level, and ultimately improve oral health in the places where they live and work.
Network development is key to all of our grantmaking initiatives. The Grassroots Engagement Strategy now gives local change agents the opportunity to have their voices heard amongst the our growing network of state, regional and national partners. Organizations at all levels of the network - from grassroots to grasstops - will be able to learn from each other what is needed to enhance oral health, share best practices and work collaboratively to bring about significant change in oral health financing, care, community and policy systems.
It is our hope that by working with organizations we will be able to make significant leaps in our quest to achieve oral health equity for all and meet the Oral Health 2020 goals. We’ll be sure to keep you posted and provide updates on the initiative’s progress! In the meantime, follow us on Twitter (@OralHealth2020) and like our Facebook page. Visit www.dentaquestfoundation.org for more information.
