The Oral Health America (OHA) Tooth Wisdom: Get Smart About Your Mouth program is expanding through a $60,000 grant from the Retirement Research Foundation.
The program is designed to give community-dwelling older adults the knowledge to care for their oral health. The curriculum is taught in workshops led by trained dental hygienists in locations where older adults congregate, such as senior centers, libraries, and places of worship.
The grant will help fund the expansion of the workshops to four additional markets in 2015. The grant is the first for the project from outside the dental community, according to OHA.
The organization launched the initial pilot last year in Chicago, with 93% of participants reporting they felt more confident in their ability to manage their oral care needs as a result of participating in the workshop.
