Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health at A.T. Still University partners with Delta Dental for their Smiles Across Pinal County Sealant Program. This program administers sealants to over 300 children primarily in Apache Junction. The program uses an affiliated practice dental hygiene model involving dental students to provide free dental screenings, sealant placements, oral health education, fluoride varnish applications and dental referrals to children from low‐income families in the Apache Junction Unified School District in Pinal County, Arizona.

Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation and Arizona PBS are pleased to host HealthySmileLearning.org, a FREE resource site with documents in both English and Spanish for parents, caregivers, children and teachers featuring family friendly videos, resources and classroom curriculum focused on oral health.

For teachers, every lesson plan provided includes objectives, an overview of materials needed, introductions, class discussions and activities. There are specific plans based on grade level ranging from kindergarten to 8th grade, and each plan is accompanied by handouts, videos and both pre- and post- tests with answer keys to assess comprehension.

Learn more and download resources at HealthySmileLearning.org.

Children’s Museum of Phoenix celebrates Children’s Dental Health Month each February with month-long oral health programming, including dental magic shows. In addition, each visitor receives an educational “Smile Bag” to take home with a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss and an educational card in English and Spanish.

Check out the Children's Museum of Phoenix calendar to find out what events are happening now!

A national initiative at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, the “Center for the Integration of Primary Care and Oral Health” (CIPCOH) convenes academics, students, and leaders from the business, healthcare, and public health communities to advance innovative ideas around the integration of oral health and overall health. Delta Dental of Arizona supports its 100 Million Mouths Campaign, which aims to create 50 Oral Health Champions (one in each state) to work with health profession schools and programs to integrate oral health into their primary care curricula and bridge gaps in oral health access. Dr. Eve Hoover is the Arizona Representative and works closely with Delta Dental of Arizona to further this mission.

The Great Arizona Puppet Theater partners with Delta Dental of Arizona and travels across the state to provide free educational dental health puppet shows to Title 1 schools and day care centers in an effort to increase oral health knowledge to children third grade and younger. Following the show, the students receive Smile Bags to help them practice the oral health lessons they just learned.

Learn more about the Great Arizona Puppet Theater touring shows.

Created by ADHA in partnership with Delta Dental member companies across the country, Hygienist Inspired is an innovative chairside recruitment program that leverages the relationships between dental hygienists and their patients to make a difference for the profession. It was created to address workforce shortages, improve access to care in underserved communities, and increase diversity in the profession. Hygienist Inspired Ambassadors in Arizona are Kim Freeman, RDH, in northern Arizona, Tamara Baca, RDH, in central Arizona and Loren Villablanca, RDH, in southern Arizona.

Learn more about Hygienist Inspired.

Cavity Free AZ is the Maricopa County Sealant Program that provides no cost dental sealants and fluoride varnish to uninsured and underinsured children in Title 1 schools throughout Maricopa County. Delta Dental of Arizona partners with the county to provide nearly 5,000 Smile Bags to all students participating in the program.

Learn more about Maricopa County's Sealant Program.

NAU partners with Delta Dental of Arizona on the Beaver Creek Smiles Program. This program transports nearly 250 children from Title 1 Beaver Creek School to the NAU School of Dental Hygiene to receive comprehensive dental care including, exams, cleanings, X-rays, fluoride varnish treatments, resin sealants and referrals. The program aims to improve the oral health of these children by providing direct preventive services and increasing access to care.

In addition, Delta Dental partners with NAU Dental Hygiene College to hold the annual Kiddie Clinic, where each year nearly 100 children receive preventive dental care for only $25.

Learn more about NAU's work in the community!

Delta Dental of Arizona has teamed up with Phoenix Children’s Hospital on an Oral Health Educator program to focus on lowering the infection rates of patients with central lines. Katharine Martinez, RDH runs the program that educates physicians, nurses, staff, parents and patients on oral health care during and after diagnosis, how to manage oral health and symptoms during treatment.

Learn more about the oral health educator program.

To assist nonprofit organizations holding community oral health events, Delta Dental of Arizona donates portable dental equipment to the Phoenix Community ToolBank. The equipment can be rented on a daily basis or on an event basis. Equipment includes portable X-ray machines, cavitrons, portable dental chairs and overhead lights.  

Visit the Phoenix Community ToolBank website to rent equipment for your next event!

The Delta Dental of Arizona Oral Health Clinic at St. Vincent de Paul in Phoenix is the largest dental clinic of its kind in the country. Each year, it provides free comprehensive treatment and care for thousands without insurance. In 2019, Delta Dental of Arizona donated $1 million to fund the operations of expanding the dental clinic from 8 to 16 operatories, serving nearly 10,000 patients a year.

Find out how the Delta Dental of Arizona Oral Health Clinic at St. Vincent de Paul is changing lives.

The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix and Delta Dental of Arizona have partnered to create the Oral Health in Medicine Initiative (OHMI). The partnership will increase oral health education for all medical students at the College of Medicine – Phoenix.

The OHMI program gives physicians the knowledge to recognize that the mouth can be a window to underlying health issues and the vocabulary to communicate effectively with their dental colleagues.

Learn more about the Oral Health in Medicine Initiative.

Delta Dental hosts Expert Voices, a roundtable discussion series that brings together local/state leaders and health experts to discuss policy, business and healthcare. These solutions-oriented conversations focus on affordable access to health, behavioral health, education and dental care, and more. For each discussion, Delta Dental partners with local organizations such as hospitals, universities and government agencies to focus on specific areas of improvement.