Delta Dental Offers Up $600,000 in Grants to Improve Statewide Access to Dental, Preventative Care

Arizona’s largest dental benefits carrier is dishing out $600,000 in grants to 31 deserving nonprofit organizations spanning the state in an effort to improve and expand access to preventative dental care, dental education and related services that have a substantial impact on overall health and wellness.

Delta Dental grant recipients will receive between $2,500 and $35,000 apiece to put toward dental awareness programs, safety net clinics, community health centers and similar resources for the state’s underserved, and grant funds will also help finance mobile clinics, fluoride treatments and teledentistry efforts, among related dental health and treatment options.

“It has been proven time and again that lack of dental care can lead to dire health problems,” said Delta Dental of Arizona President and CEO Allan Allford. “These amazing Arizona organizations receiving funding through our Foundation have proven track records of providing much needed preventative care and educational resources in the communities they serve.”

Delta Dental grant recipients include Maggie’s Place, which provides housing and support services for pregnant women, the First Smiles program at the University of Arizona, which offers critical dentistry services to youths from birth through age 5, and the Verde Valley Medical Center in Cottonwood, which operates a home-visiting dental program that caters to at-risk Arizona families, among others.

“This funding will make an immediate positive impact on the oral health of Arizonans across the entire state,” said Allford. “That is something in which Delta Dental of Arizona takes great pride.”