CHICAGO, June 18 — Thanks to a $50,000 grant from Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation, Oral Health America (OHA) is expanding its oral health education workshop for older adults. Tooth Wisdom: Get Smart About Your Mouth is a first-of-its-kind workshop designed to empower older adults to take charge of their own oral health. The funding from Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation allows OHA to expand the workshop pilot to older adults in Minnesota and collaborate with state oral health partners to continue to update the curriculum.
“OHA has a long history of involvement in the state of Minnesota and we are happy to be able to continue this through the expansion of Tooth Wisdom: Get Smart About Your Mouth,” said OHA President and CEO Beth Truett. “The funding from the Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation makes it possible for older adults in Minnesota to benefit from this groundbreaking oral health education workshop.”
OHA launched the initial workshop pilot during the summer of 2014 in Chicago, with 93 percent of participants reporting they felt more confident in their ability to manage their oral care needs as a result of their participation in the workshop. These overwhelmingly positive results are the basis for the expansion throughout the country. Currently OHA is conducting Tooth Wisdom: Get Smart About Your Mouth workshops in Illinois, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee and Minnesota in community settings including senior centers, libraries and places of worship.
Grant recipients were selected based on a number of criteria including the program’s innovative way of improving access for underserved populations in Minnesota, the opportunity to promote and expand preventive and education services and the ability to measure results.
“At Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation, we are dedicated to improving health through oral health throughout Minnesota. We are proud to recognize the work being done by Oral Health America,” said Joe Lally, Interim Executive Director Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation and Community Affairs.
To learn more about Tooth Wisdom: Get Smart About Your Mouth and all of OHA’s work for older adults, please visit www.oralhealthamerica.org.
