Children’s Dental Health
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Key Resources, Organizations & Funding Sources

• Treatment
• Volunteer Efforts
• Local Organizations & Collaborations
• Statewide Organizations
• Funding Sources
• Useful Internet Resources

Statewide Organizations

The California Dental Association and its associated foundation have become increasingly involved locally, through their statewide programs. These include the First 5 Oral Health Education and Training Program -- First Smiles. The CDA Foundation's Pediatric Oral Health Access Program has trained general dentists to serve children under 12 and those with special needs in the Bay Area and other regions, and may do further training in the future. To learn more about First Smiles, contact Rolande Loftus, California Dental Association Foundation, at (916) 554-4918 or rolande.loftus@cda.org. To learn more about the Pediatric Oral Health Access Program, contact Brittney Ryan at (800) 736-7071 x 4921 or visit www.cdafoundation.org.

The Dental Health Foundation is instrumental in the state First 5 project, produced the 2006 statewide needs assessment, and plays an active role in legislative advocacy around oral health and promotion of fluoridation. It also convenes the Oral Health Access Council, a statewide coalition (including child advocates) that focuses on improving the oral health of underserved and vulnerable populations. To learn more, contact Wynn Grossman, Executive Director, Dental Health Foundation, at wgrossman@pacbell.net, or visit www.dentalhealthfoundation.org.

Children Now, a multi-issue child advocacy organization, is partnering with the Dental Health Foundation on public education and media strategies related to improving children's oral health, and is conducting legislative analysis and advocacy focused on improving children's oral health, particularly access to care. In addition, Children Now is compiling and disseminating information on children's dental insurance coverage as part of a broader initiative to ensure health insurance coverage for all California children. To learn more, visit www.childrennow.org.

Pacific Center for Special Care at the University of the Pacific in San Francisco has convened an ongoing Statewide Task Force on Oral Health for People with Special Needs. The Center promotes expanded access to affordable quality oral health care for people with special needs through research, advocacy, training, and other resource provision. The Task Force is moving forward on an ambitious agenda to improve policy, practice, and legislation to meet the oral health needs of people with special needs, including children. Task Force workgroups welcome participation from the public. To learn more, contact Kari Baker, Program Manager, Pacific Center for Special Care at (415) 749-3384, or visit www.pacificspecialcare.org.