Samuel Harris grants

LAS VEGAS, Nevada--Oral Health America and the American Dental Association honored four organizations Oct. 10, 2011, with the National Children’s Dental Health Month Samuel D. Harris Award during the ADA’s 152nd Annual Session and World Marketplace Exhibition here at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

The Samuel D. Harris award recognizes and rewards programs that demonstrate the advancement of dentistry for children through efforts that provide oral health benefits to the public and the profession during February’s National Children’s Dental Health Month.

“It’s an honor for the ADA to join with OHA to recognize programs that provide education and resources to help improve children’s oral health,” said ADA President-Elect William R. Calnon, DDS. “Tooth decay is a leading childhood disease, and is a principal reason why children miss school. The educational programs and resources provided by community programs such as these are invaluable in helping relieve the suffering of many underserved children.”

Grants were awarded based on creativity, originality, and opportunity for replication in other communities. This year’s honorees each received $2,000:

* The Central Jersey Family Health Consortium of North Brunswick, N.J., for its “Sugar-Less Day to Prevent Tooth Decay” program

* The Louisville Dental Society in Kentucky for its Smile Kentucky! program

* The Maricopa County Oral Health Leaders, Advocates, & Resources of Glendale, Ariz., for its expansion of the National Children’s Dental Health Month program in the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix

* The SWLA Center for Health Services of Lake Charles, La., for its Oral Health Art Project program

ADA-affiliated state and local dental societies and community-based organizations providing oral health education to school-aged children are eligible to apply for the National Children’s Dental Health Month Samuel D. Harris Award.

“Oral Health America is pleased to have worked with the American Dental Association on the Samuel Harris grant awards,” said Keith W. Suchy, DDS, board chair, Oral Health America. “Both OHA and the ADA are extremely pleased with the grant proposals put forward by the many organizations that submitted applications. Congratulations are in order for all the hard work that is being implemented in communities throughout the United States.”

The ADA’s National Children’s Dental Health Month is celebrated every February, and was created more than 58 years ago to raise awareness about children’s oral health. The ADA provides information, games, and activities that caregivers, health-care professionals, and educators can use to educate children and their families about the value of good oral health. NCDHM messages and materials have reached millions of people in communities across the country.

For more information, go to www.oralhealthamerica.org and www.ada.org.

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