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By Stacie Crozier

Six grant recipients have been chosen for the first-ever Access to Oral Health Care for Older Adults Initiative, established in a cooperative effort between the ADA and the ADA Foundation and funded by a $250,000 grant from GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare.

"Dentistry has successfully helped millions of Americans keep their teeth as they age into their seventies and eighties," said ADA President Dr. Richard Haught. "However, some older adults face barriers in accessing dental care. We look forward to working with GlaxoSmithKline and seeing the implementation of our grant winners' programs to help older adults get the dental care they need. We also believe our grant winners' initiatives can provide examples of innovative, community-based programs for duplication in other parts of the country."

First-ever grants: Announcing the winners of the Access to Oral Health Care for Older Adults Initiative are, from left, Dr. James B. Bramson, ADA executive director; Dr. Arthur A. Dugoni, ADA Foundation president; Sydney R. Rollock, vice president, GlaxoSmithKline Oral Care, U.S.; Dr. Richard Haught, ADA president; and Dr. Ronald L. Rupp, senior manager, GSK Consumer Healthcare professional relations.

"It's simply unacceptable that so many Americans lack the access to oral health care that most of us enjoy," said Sydney R. Rollock, vice president of GlaxoSmithKline Oral Care, U.S. "While advances in oral care have benefited the majority of society, too many of us, especially the elderly, still suffer pain and other complications needlessly and at the expense of overall health and well-being. This is why we're so excited to partner with the ADA to help improve access to dental care for a segment of the population that truly needs our help."

An advisory committee selected the winning programs from a pool of 178 applications. The winners are:

The American Red Cross — The American Red Cross will use its $50,000 grant to mount a one-year program to train 500 instructors in Red Cross chapters nationwide in an oral care program for older adults. The program — a part of the organization's nine-module Family Caregiving Program — will reach between 5,000 and 10,000 semi dependent older adults and their caregivers. Red Cross chapters in up to 50 rural and urban areas with concentrations of elder caregivers will be included in the program to train instructors.

National Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped — The NFDH will use its $23,760 grant to develop a pilot/screening and oral health education component of its Donated Dental Services program in up to 10 U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly apartment buildings. The program will assess the impact for improving the screening and referral process and improving oral health behavior among residents.

New York State Dental Foundation — The NYSDF received a $40,000 grant to develop an oral health resource manual for health and human service professionals and volunteers who work with older adults, covering topics from oral health needs of older adults to oral manifestations of systemic diseases or pharmacological effects in the oral cavity. The manuals will be produced in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Korean and possibly Italian to better reach diverse older populations — up to 600,000 individuals in all. The NYSDF will also conduct a statewide conference with a variety of agencies on elder care oral health needs.

Ohio Dental Association — The ODA will use its $23,000 grant first to train volunteer dentists from each component dental society, dental society personnel, and representatives from each of the state's 12 Area Agencies on Aging and 88 county health departments on oral health care and hygiene for older adults. Then, trained personnel will be able to train private and professional caregivers, reaching a minimum 5,000 older adults in one year.

Medical College of Georgia/School of Dentistry — The MCG School of Dentistry will utilize a $50,000 grant to increase the amount of didactic and clinical experience its students receive in geriatric dentistry; to establish a weekly presence at a local flea market that would offer dental education and screenings to older adults in the area with referrals for local dentists or the dental school clinic for follow-up care; and to provide dental care for 120-plus residents of a veteran's facility located near the dental school. The program will serve an estimated 1,500 seniors in total.

Spokane Regional Health District — The SRHD's grant of $38,240 will help launch the Seniors... Be Wise program, a pilot program that uses public and consumer education to raise awareness of the importance of proper oral care for older adults; trains trainers to reach caregivers with the message and provides fluoride varnish for seniors. The program will reach more than 9,000 older adults.