CareCredit continued its support of the ADA Foundation's Give Kids A Smile Fund by making its fifth consecutive $100,000 donation, the company announced.
"CareCredit's generosity will play a key role in helping Give Kids A Smile achieve its goal of cavity-free kids by 2020," stated David Whiston, DDS, president of the ADA Foundation.
The program's objectives include the following:
- Raising awareness of the high level of oral disease suffered by children primarily from low-income families
- Demonstrating dentistry's commitment to addressing access to care
- Enabling volunteer dental teams across the U.S. to provide free dental care, screening, and education to children in need
- Urging policymakers to increase funding for children's oral health
In 2010, the ADA Foundation awarded grants to the Hispanic Dental Association (HDA), the National Dental Association (NDA), and Oral Health America (OHA). The HDA is using its grant to fund local dental student-led oral health programs in Los Angeles, San Antonio, and Boston. Expansion of its mobile dental van program and increased participation in local health clinics also are planned.
The NDA is enhancing the Deamonte Driver Dental Project to reach more elementary schools and expand mobile dental van services. OHA's grant funds have been distributed to Smiles Across America sites in California, Minnesota, and Nevada, which has enabled thousands of children to receive education, preventive care, and restorative services.
