Crest, a trusted leader in oral health, has partnered with the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) to sponsor and enhance the university's community care program. This partnership is designed to further the efforts of Crest's national program, Crest Healthy Smiles 2010, by providing dental care and education to children in underserved communities.
"We are making good progress in addressing children's oral health needs through Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 and partnerships, like this one with UTHSCSA, will help us reach our goals," said Diane Dietz, marketing director for Crest. "We are confident that this partnership will further close the dental care gap among underserved children in San Antonio and help deliver beautiful smiles."
Through this partnership, Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 will be able to directly impact the oral health of many children in need locally. In San Antonio, the UTHSCSA community teaching program, which includes treatment and education efforts through its mobile dental vehicles and the Christus Santa Rosa Clinic, helps thousands of children per year. The program has UTHSCSA staff available to provide a variety of dental services, including screenings, examinations, cleanings, sealants, dental amalgams, composites, emergency care and CHIPS and Medicaid insurance counsel. Through the partnership, children treated through UTHSCSA programs will receive Crest toothpaste, toothbrushes and bilingual information on proper dental care. The Crest-sponsored mobile dental vehicles will also participate in selected local health and community events throughout the year, including visits to local Boys & Girls Clubs.
"San Antonio children in underserved communities are in dire need of education and access to oral care," said Kevin Donly, professor and postdoctoral program director at UTHSCSA's Department of Pediatric Dentistry. "We are excited to team up with Crest because, through this partnership, we will be able to reach more children and eradicate this oral epidemic in our community."
Tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease. According to the "Oral Health in America Report" by former Surgeon General, Dr. David Satcher, 25 percent of low-income children have not visited a dentist before kindergarten. As a result, more than one-third of low-income children have at least one tooth decay untreated by age nine. Furthermore, for every child under age 18 with medical insurance, there are at least two children without dental insurance.
