New York State Dental Foundation

Research has repeatedly demonstrated that poor oral health can complicate and increase the costs of chronic disease.

Described as “a silent epidemic” in the 2000 U.S. Surgeon General’s report, inadequate access to dental care is a serious problem that disproportionately affects members of racial and ethnic groups; the elderly; and those with disabilities and complex health problems. Since 2008, Donated Dental Services (DDS), a collaboration of volunteer service programs used in nearly 40 other states, has served New York City residents as a means to overcome financial barriers to dental care. In November 2009, NYHealth awarded the New York State Dental Foundation (NYSDF) a grant to scale and integrate DDS statewide in order to make the existing dental care network more accessible to high-need populations by providing care through existing community resources.

Grantee: New York State Dental Foundation

Grant Title: Donated Dental Services

Dates: December 1, 2009—August 25, 2011

Funding: Special Projects Fund

Grant Amount: $225,000

Grant Goals:

NYSDF set out to achieve the following goals:

• Integrate DDS as a substantive resource providing access to comprehensive care to needy, disabled, elderly, and medically underserved individuals with significant dental problems across New York State.
• Build a cadre of 750 dentists and 100 dental laboratories to volunteer.
• Have 350 people complete treatment valued at $1 million by the end of the grant period.

Grant Outcomes:

NYSDF accomplished the following:

• Expanded DDS as a resource for upstate New York.
• Recruited 615 volunteer dentists and 181 laboratories that provided more than $1.7 million in free care to nearly 400 people during the grant period, with another 226 people undergoing care at the end of the grant period.
• Affirmed that financial barriers block some New Yorkers from necessary comprehensive care and that some dentists and laboratories are willing to donate care to vulnerable populations at no cost.

Grantee Website: http://www.nysdentalfoundation.org/
Grant ID #: $225,000