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By Stacie Crozier

Do you work with a program designed to improve and maintain children's oral health through community education?

If so, your program might be eligible for a $5,000 grant from the ADA Foundation's Samuel D. Harris Fund for Children's Dental Health grants program.

	MolarMan: Dr. Gary M. Johnson provides oral health instruction and copies of his "Adventures of MolarMan" coloring workbook to children at Mercy Care Dental Center in Phoenix during a Give Kids A Smile event in February 2006.

For several years, Dr. Gary M. Johnson of Phoenix has donned his "MolarMan" suit and traveled to schools and dental clinics in the city's poorest districts, teaching at-risk kids about preventive oral health care during a half-hour program.

And, thanks to grants from the ADA Foundation in 2005 and 2006, he was able to distribute 2,000 copies of his "Adventures of MolarMan" coloring workbook last year and 2,000 copies of his new bilingual version this year.

A weightlifting injury in 1996 stopped Dr. Johnson from practicing general dentistry. "But when doors close, others open," he says. "I started a foundation, the Healthy Smile Foundation, to reach out to children in need. I feel like I was meant to help children and there are lots of ways to do it besides treating them in the dental chair. This project seems to grow and have a life of its own now, and I am thankful for the help I've received from the ADA Foundation and other foundations."

Now in its ninth year, the Harris Grants program will award up to $300,000 in 2007. Community-based, not-for-profit oral health promotion programs in the United States and its territories are eligible to submit proposals by July 17.

The grant program's main objective is to help children whose socioeconomic status impedes their access to professional oral health care and adversely affects their oral health habits at home. Examples of eligible programs/projects include those that:

• conduct dental health education at schools, health fairs and social agencies, via mobile dental clinics or outreach programs;
• offer dental health education programs in conjunction with preventive programs such as fluoride and dental sealant application programs;
• distribute oral health and nutrition education materials designed for parents and/or dental professionals;
• provide instruction in the proper use of oral care products;
• develop public service announcements to increase awareness of, and appreciation for, proper childhood oral care.

Grants will be awarded based on:

• originality, creativity and innovation;
• potential for, or history of, continuous program operation;
• community involvement including volunteer support;
• oral health awareness education and promotion content;
• potential impact on the target audience and/or community.

For more information, or to download the Request for Proposals and grant proposal summary form, log on to www.adafoundation.org.