Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation

Dedicated to the Notion that Healthy Smiles Matter. As an oral health leader in Colorado since 2002, the Delta Dental Foundation strives to create innovative programs with measurable results.

Mission: Eradicate tooth decay in Colorado’s children.

In the last decade, we’ve worked to understand the oral health needs of our state and supported opportunities to provide needed services. We’ve helped increase the understanding of the importance of oral health with the philanthropic, public policy, medical and oral health communities.

We maintain a passionate belief that, because almost 100 percent of oral disease is preventable, the work we are doing can and will result in healthy smiles and better health for all Coloradans.

For more information about the Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation, click here.

Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation supports a variety of efforts to eradicate cavities in Colorado’s children. Here are a few of the projects:

• The Healthy Teeth Happy Babies campaign has been working since 2006 to reduce oral disease in infants and pregnant women in the Denver area by raising awareness about the link between mother and baby oral health.  The bilingual campaign spreads the message about how to stop the transmission of the bacteria that causes tooth decay from caregivers to children.

• The Cavity Free at Three project is a powerful example of what can be accomplished when leading health foundations collaborate in an effort to bring preventive dental services to young children in underserved areas. This project is dedicated to ensuring that all Colorado children are cavity free.

• The Colorado Partnership for Children’s Oral Health is a consortium of healthcare providers, advocates, funders and academics working together to improve oral health outcomes for children in Colorado.

• The Delta Dental Frontier Center provides education to dental and medical students at the University of Colorado on the important connection between oral and general health.

• The Hygienist Co-Location project evaluates the impact of providing preventive oral health care for children within primary care settings.

• The Children’s Hospital Cavity Free at Three clinic is a prevention-oriented dental home program designed to serve young children.  The site also trains medical and dental students about early oral health interventions for young children.

Resources

The following excellent resources were developed for the Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation:

Eradicating Tooth Decay in Colorado’s Children identifies how to eliminate tooth decay in children.  2010.  Brunson, D. University of Colorado, School of Dental Medicine.

The Impact of Oral Health Disease on Colorado’s Children explores the costs and outcomes associated with the current level of investment in oral health care.  2010. Colorado Health Institute.

To learn more about the Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation, view our report or contact Executive Director Barbara Springer: (720) 741-9300 or BSpringer@ddpco.com.