2004 ($36,910 Total Awarded)

A $3,150 grant was awarded to the Pennsylvania Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) to fund KidzGrinz. The project involved creating a new Web site to develop awareness among children, educators, and parents about the need to seek early dental care, while allowing children to take a proactive role in their own oral health.

A grant of $9,410 was awarded to the National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasia (NFED) to fund its project, “Improving Oral Health Care for Individuals Affected by Ectodermal Dysplasia (ED) Syndromes: A Program to Educate Dentists, Families and Insurers.” According to the NFED, the ED syndromes consist of a group of genetic disorders that are identified by the absence or deficient function of skin, hair, teeth, or nails. Dental treatment, including dentures, may be necessary for ED sufferers as young as age two because most people with ED have missing or malformed teeth. As a child with ED grows, multiple replacements may be required. The purpose of this project was to distribute an educational resource that provides guidelines for oral health care for individuals affected by ED syndromes.

A grant of $9,000 was requested by members of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine to fund a student-driven project, Operation Mouthguard, which works with the Boys & Girls Clubs in the greater Boston area regarding the importance of preventing orofacial injuries. The original grant requested funds to purchase equipment and supplies to manufacture custom-made mouthguards for members of the club. In addition to receiving the free mouthguards, club members participated in interactive presentations designed by Harvard University students regarding orofacial injury prevention, oral health and hygiene, and tobacco’s effects on the body and oral cavity. As a result of negotiations between the AGDF directors and 3M ESPE, a $5,000 cash grant was awarded with 3M ESPE donating the needed equipment and materials.

$5,000 was awarded to the Virginia Dental Health Foundation to fund disposable and portable dental equipment used in their Mission of Mercy (MOM) project, and to fund the purchase of equipment and supplies for their outreach clinics in order to provide access to care for the uninsured (elderly, disabled, and indigent) and the underinsured (working poor), who are not covered for dental services by such programs as Medicaid and Medicare.

$4,850 was awarded to the Texas AGD Jack T. Clark Foundation Lance Armstrong Health & Fitness Expo to fund a booth and a continuing education program on cancer, to conduct oral cancer screenings, and to increase public and professional awareness of oral health.
$2,000 was awarded to John Kim, DDS, of the Winnebago County Dental Society for the “What’s in My Mouth” program, which provides grade-school students with knowledge in oral hygiene, anatomy, and important aspects of oral health.

$2,000 was awarded to the American Association of Women Dentists’ Smiles For Success Foundation to fund costs for free dental treatment and follow-up care to women on welfare who are determined to enter the workforce.

$1,500 was awarded to the Boston University School of Dental Medicine’s Future Smiles Chelsea to fund an educational campaign to increase awareness of and to prevent early childhood caries, and to identify and refer children for treatment to local dentists.

The AGD Foundation was incorporated in 1972, in the state of Illinois, and is exempt under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, as a vehicle to accept tax deductible contributions for the purpose of supporting charitable and education programs.