- Delta Dental Philanthropic Fund

Current Location: Delta Dental of SD > Delta Dental Philanthropic Fund > Fund Activities

The Delta Dental Philanthropic Fund provides funding for a variety of causes. In addition to the programs outlined below, funding has been provided for causes like the University of South Dakota Hygiene School for student training and equipment, the South Dakota Dental Association, local dental societies for continuing education programs for dental professionals, the South Dakota Dental Foundation, the Sunshyne Smiles program that helps underserved families with orthodontic needs, the South Dakota Oral Health Coalition for technical support and intern/extern programs for dental students who are interested in South Dakota as a potential practice site.

South Dakota Oral Health Coalition
The mission of the South Dakota Oral Health Coalition is to promote quality of life by facilitating the availability of oral health services. The Coalition's areas of focus are workforce development, access to care and education/prevention. Recognizing the need to address the significant oral health challenges in the state, Delta Dental played a leadership role in the formation of the Coalition and Delta Dental staff remain actively involved in Coalition activities including technical assistance funding and grant-writing services for various coalition projects.

Caring for Smiles
The Caring for Smiles project is a two part project designed to provide oral health education to caregivers of people with developmental disabilities and to provide continuing education for dental professionals in how to provide quality, appropriate care for people with developmental disabilities.

Dentist Loan Repayment for Service Program
The Delta Dental Philanthropic Fund Dentist Loan Repayment for Service program has been designed to help in the recruitment of new dentists and to engage new private practice dentists in treating underserved populations. The program provides loan repayment for young dentists who agree to see a certain percentage of Medicaid patients in their practice and/or work on one of Delta Dental's mobile dental units and see a smaller percentage of Medicaid patients in their practice.

Candidates must submit an application form, two letters of recommendation, verification that the employer dentist (if applicable) agrees that the applicant is permitted to use their practice to meet the program requirements, documentation of outstanding dental school loans and official college transcripts.

Dakota Smiles Mobile Dental Program
Click here for more information on Delta Dental's mobile dental program.

Donated Dental Services
Since 2001, Delta Dental of South Dakota is pleased to have donated nearly $150,000 to this program that provides essential and comprehensive dental care to our state's most vulnerable adults: disabled, elderly or medically-compromised individuals who cannot afford necessary treatment nor get public aid. Learn more about the South Dakota Donated Dental Services program.

South Dakota Great Faces. Great Smiles: An Ounce of Prevention
The goal of this oral health prevention and education project is to increase the oral health literacy of underserved populations in South Dakota with a statewide health promotion/education program. The program includes promotion of oral health messages through television advertising, posters, brochures, etc. It also includes training for Head Start personnel who will then be equipped to further train Head Start parents in oral health issues for their children. The project, which is being funded through a grant from the Wellmark Foundation, is a joint effort between Delta Dental of South Dakota, the South Dakota Dental Association and the South Dakota Department of Health.

Health EDventure.org
HealthEDventure.org is an interactive web site for teachers, students and parents. The site features many lesson plans for teachers to use in the classroom. While the site addresses all aspects of health there are many good oral health resources to be found there.

P.A.N.D.A
P.A.N.D.A is an acronym for Prevent Abuse and Neglect through Dental Awareness. It's the name of an educational program that's being sponsored by Delta Dental of South Dakota through the Delta Dental Philanthropic Fund.

Partners for Prevention
Delta Dental, along with the South Dakota Dental Association and the South Dakota Department of Health, is pleased to be a sponsor of the Partners for Prevention program. The Partners for Prevention program is designed to improve the oral health of South Dakota's young children by training medical providers (physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and nurses) in oral health. Because young children routinely see these medical providers for well-child exams, these providers have an important opportunity for intervening to protect a child's oral health. Click here to learn more.

Teeth on the Go
Teeth-on-the-go is a fun and imaginative teaching resource designed to help elementary school children understand how important taking care of their teeth can be.

For more information about the Delta Dental Philanthropic Fund contact: 605-224-7345 connie.halverson@deltadentalsd.com