RECESSION A FACTOR IN POSTPONING DENTAL CARE
DELAY CAN CREATE GREATER HEALTH ISSUES AND COSTS IN FUTURE

Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation Stays Committed to Funding Dental Clinics that Provide Access to Dental Care for Uninsured and Underserved Residents

- Over a Half Million Dollars in Grants Given to Support 24 Community Organizations  -

PARSIPPANY, NJ (April 20, 2010)

In response to the recession and decreased earnings from layoffs and overall household wealth, a quarter of U.S. households reduced spending for health-related issues, according to an analysis on the impact of the recession done by the Rand Corporation.¹ Reported in a bulletin from the Population Reference Bureau, an online resource about population trends, the findings also show that this financial crisis has “erased decades of improvements in material well-being for the most vulnerable groups - children, the elderly and the poor.”²

Among the more disturbing findings, Americans are increasingly delaying needed and warranted preventive care. Citing a report from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, the Population Reference Bureau noted: “Forgoing preventive check-ups and medical treatments for chronic conditions might lead to immediate health deterioration and to higher health care costs in the long run. Families that reduce their health care spending are more likely to put off regular check-ups for children and dental treatment, or they may even limit health care to catastrophic events.”³

In recognition of the continuing health care crisis, particularly regarding access to care by low-income groups, Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation, the 501(c)(3) charitable arm of Delta Dental of New Jersey, has continued its high level of commitment to support oral health for the underserved, including maintaining a grant program for the underserved that began with the foundation’s inception in 1986. The 2010 grants for underserved populations will provide $670,000 to 24 community organizations in New Jersey and Connecticut. Funds will be used to help dental clinics provide needed dental care services to underserved children and families, including at-risk developmentally disabled and senior citizen groups. 

“Millions of Americans are making the difficult choice between paying the mortgage and investing in regular dental care,” said Gene F. Napoliello, D.D.S., president of the foundation. “These grants are a key safety net to maintain an appropriate level of care for the underserved. Through these grants, the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation is committed to helping keep access open to oral health care for the people who need it most.” 

Annually, the Foundation awards a million dollars in grants and scholarships for programs that support oral health education in schools, professional training for future oral health providers and direct care services for at-risk individuals. The underserved grant program is the largest funded by the Foundation, providing direct dollars to groups that provide dental care services to the homeless, uninsured and underinsured, including elderly patients with limited Medicare funding and children from Medicaid and working-poor households. 

Reasons to support access to care for the underserved keep mounting
According to the American Dental Association, tooth decay is increasingly a disease of children from low- and modest-income households. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that among children suffering from tooth decay, almost 50 percent of these cases remain untreated, with the disease resulting in pain, dysfunction, being underweight or having poor appearance - all problems that can greatly reduce a child’s capacity to succeed in the educational environment, as well as outside of school. Through proper oral hygiene and nutrition, childhood tooth decay can be prevented.

Nearly 10 years after the Surgeon General’s landmark oral health study revealed that more than 51 million school hours are lost due to dental-related illnesses each year, a new independent national study commissioned by the not-for-profit Delta Dental Plans Association reveals that children’s oral health care is still inadequate in too many cases. The study indicated that parents have the greatest influence on children’s oral health - but home dental health care is still too often insufficient and parental influence declines with income level. Lower-income respondents indicated that schools have the greatest influence.⁴ 

The study also found that close to 5 percent of Americans say their child has missed school due to oral health problems. The situation is worse for children of low-income families, who were found in the study to be twice as likely to miss school due to oral health problems.⁵

“An estimated one in five children in America goes without dental care each year, and two-thirds of states do not have effective policies in place to ensure proper dental health and access to care,” according to a report by the Pew Center on the States. “The Cost of Delay: State Dental Policies Fail One in Five Children,” released with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the DentaQuest Foundation, grades each state’s policy responses to the urgent challenges in dental health among America’s low-income children.⁶ New Jersey received a failing grade in the study, which cited a lack of policies for improving dental care in that state. 

Upcoming New Grant Deadlines
Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation’s underserved grant applications for 2011 will be accepted beginning this summer. For more information, please contact Kimberly Elmore at 973-944-4555 or kelmore@deltadentalnj.com. For current news about the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation, visit the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation Facebook page and read our blog on nj.com/Helping Hands. 


Highlights of the how the 2010 underserved grants will serve the public

New Jersey grantee highlights

• East Orange: The East Orange Department of Health and Human Services treats students who attend the East Orange school system as a way to help curb excessive school absenteeism due to dental health issues. Open year-round, the clinic treats close to 1,000 patients a year at a cost ranging from approximately $300 to $1,000 per patient. Treatment is performed by the same dentist each visit to help build rapport between the dentist and the young students.

• Paterson: The only free dental clinic in the area, the clinic at Eva’s Village treats 200 patients a year at an average cost of $262. The program would not exist without the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation funding. Dentists donate their time to provide services to the homeless and uninsured, most of whom are living in the Eva’s Village shelter. Homeless/addicted adults are more likely to have serious dental problems than the general population, such as rotten, broken, or missing teeth, according to the shelter.

• New Brunswick: The Eric B. Chandler Health Center serves an average of 1,350 patients at a cost of approximately $310 each. Patients come to the program as referrals from private practices they cannot afford and from the New Brunswick school system and community health fairs. The center is dedicated to serving the uninsured and underinsured who frequently don’t seek services until “the pain is too severe.” 

• Camden: Cathedral Kitchen, known for its large-scale soup kitchen, is a first-time grantee, anticipated to serve 700 patients in 2010. The building includes a health care clinic. The individuals served by the dental program have little or no access to dental care due to their lack of insurance and level of poverty.

• Trenton: The dental program at the Henry J. Austin Health Center is designed to provide free services to those who can’t afford the center’s lowest fees and has been in existence for six years. In 2010, it is projected to serve 5,000 patients, of whom 1,600 will be children and 1,000 will be senior citizens. 

• Neptune: The Jersey Shore University Medical Center Foundation is the only full-service, charity-care dental clinic in Monmouth and Ocean counties. It offers free dental care to low-income, at-risk patients without insurance in Asbury Park and Neptune who cannot afford the sliding fee scales offered by other safety-net programs. The Center’s Dental Clinic has a four-year waiting list for services and currently serves close to 500 patients annually who have limited resources. 

• Dover: The Zufall Health Center provides comprehensive dental services to residents in Northwest New Jersey. Many of the patients served are recent immigrants who, in some cases, have never visited a dentist before. Funds are used to support three dentists working out of a Dover storefront six days a week.

Connecticut grantee highlights 

• Southington: The Connecticut Mission of Mercy, a program developed by the Connecticut Foundation for Dental Outreach, provides free dental care to the underserved and uninsured who would not otherwise have access to care. In collaboration with the Connecticut State Dental Association, the program hosted two Mission of Mercy projects during the last two years, treating more than 2,900 individuals and providing $1.3 million in donated services.

• Hampton: The EASTCONN Head Start serves Windham and Tolland counties, providing preventive dental exams to at-risk children in the comfort of a familiar school setting. Serving 371 children aged 6 weeks to 5 years, the program partners with an Across the Smile Dental Van that visits the center periodically during the year.

Full list of Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation 2010 grant recipients:

1. Cathedral Kitchen, Camden, NJ. Provides dental care to its soup kitchen guests.
2. East Orange Health & Human Services, East Orange, NJ. Serves East Orange school children.
3. Eric B. Chandler Health Center, New Brunswick, NJ. Helps uninsured and underinsured children and adults in the greater New Brunswick area.
4. Eva’s Village, Paterson, NJ. Provides dental care to the homeless and addicted. 
5. Henry J. Austin Health Center, Trenton, NJ. Provides access to dental care for those who could not otherwise afford it.
6. Hunterdon County Department of Health, Flemington, NJ. Provides preventive and advanced dental care for children.
7. Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, NJ. Serves at-risk, low-income children and adults, largely in Neptune and Asbury Park.
8. John F. Kennedy Medical Center/Community Hospital Group, Edison, NJ. Increases access to dental hygiene services to the working poor in Middlesex County.
9. Kids Corporation II, Newark, NJ. Provides dental health services to underserved children in Newark.
10. KinderSmile Foundation, Upper Montclair, NJ. Brings dentists on site to eight NJ preschools serving low-income children.
11. Matheny Medical and Educational Center, Peapack, NJ. Provides dental care to patients with disabilities who require a special level of care, accommodation and understanding. Ninety-nine percent of the patient base is on Medicaid. The Matheny School is a residential and day school for severely handicapped children and young adults.
12. Morristown Memorial Health Foundation, Morristown, NJ. Through the Leonard Szerlip Dental Center, implements the Senior Smiles program to serve the charity-care geriatric population, as well as the developmentally disabled population.
13. Newark Community Health Centers, Newark, NJ. Funds used to upgrade three dental units in East Orange that provide dental care for low-income residents and children.
14. New Jersey Foundation for Dentistry for Persons With Disabilities, Edison, NJ. The program is considered a last resort for people who could not access services elsewhere. The program coordinates services donated by volunteer dentists throughout the state to provide one-time care to people who are permanently disabled, critically ill or elderly and with limited abilities for gainful employment.
15. Ocean Health Initiatives, Lakewood, NJ. Serves 5,000 patients annually from the 7 percent of Ocean County’s documented residents who live below the poverty line. Services are provided at two locations and through a medical mobile unit.
16. Paterson Public Schools, Paterson, NJ. A unique program that provides sealants, fluoride rinses, and dental care to 10,000 public school children through the Office of Dental Services.
17. Smiles Change Lives. A program originated in St. Louis, MO, now serving New Jersey, that funds orthodontic treatment for children who could not otherwise afford it. Services are provided in private offices.
18. Special Care Treatment Center Hygiene Program, Newark, NJ. Affiliated with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, the center provides dental hygiene services to mentally and physically challenged patients from throughout NJ.
19. Tri-County Community Action Partnership, Bridgeton, NJ. Provides a Community Connections for Bright Smiles program that covers the costs of oral exams, preventive oral care, and oral treatment for children and families affiliated with the Tri-County Head Start program.
20. Virtua Health, Camden, NJ. Funds help support a full-time dentist and dental assistant in Camden, an area officially designated by the federal government as “dentally underserved.”
21. Zufall Health Center, Dover, NJ. Provides dental care to uninsured individuals and families in Northwest New Jersey.
22. Connecticut Foundation for Dental Outreach, Southington, CT. A program developed by the Connecticut Foundation for Dental Outreach to provide free dental care to the underserved and uninsured who would otherwise not have access to care. 
23. EASTCONN Head Start, Hampton, CT. Provides preventive dental exams to at-risk children in a school setting. 
24. Cornell Scott-Hill Health Corporation, New Haven, CT. A satellite school-based health program providing dental care services for pre-K through 8th-grade students within a familiar school setting in the Katherine Brennan School-Based Dental Clinic.

About Delta Dental
Delta Dental of New Jersey Inc. is New Jersey’s leading dental benefits company, providing or administering coverage to more than one million people through contracts with employers in New Jersey and Connecticut. The Delta Dental system offers seamless dental benefits administration for employer groups throughout the country and has the largest network of dentists in the nation. For more information, visit www.deltadentalnj.com.

About Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation
Delta Dental established the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation in 1986. Its mission includes promoting and assisting educational projects devoted to the enhancement of dental health, providing research programs designed to increase public awareness of the general benefits of good health, and improving dental health through the science of dentistry. Each year, Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation provides financial support to various organizations throughout the state.
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¹The Impact of the Recession on Older Americans, Nadwa Mossaad, Population Reference Bureau, http://www.prb.org/Articles/2010/recessionolderamericans.aspx.

²Ibid.

³From Population Reference Bureau footnote - Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, Turning to Medicaid and SCHIP in an Economic Recession: Conversations With Recent Applicants and Enrollees (Washington, D.C.: Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, 2008).

⁴Ibid.

⁵U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Call to Action to Promote Oral Health, Rockville, Md.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. NIH Publication No. 03-5303, Spring 2003.
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/oralhealth/nationalcalltoaction.html.

⁶DDPA 2009, Children’s Oral Health Survey, August 7, 2009, Morpace Market Research & Consulting, survey results presentation.