Volunteers step up: Recipients of the ADA DHF Healthier Smiles Grants 2023

While Australia has seen substantial improvements in oral health over recent years, we are beginning to see this positive trend decline in disadvantaged and remote communities (1) In fact, Australians from the lowest socio-economic backgrounds are now almost half as likely to consult a dental professional, and nine times more likely to suffer complete tooth loss.1 While there are a number of factors at play, barriers such as lower access to dental facilities, financial pressures, and lower health literacy all contribute to Australia’s dental health inequity. (1)

Now in its 12th year, the Healthier Smiles Community Service Grants program is a well-established initiative supporting dentists and dental students from across Australia who seek to improve oral health outcomes by providing screening, treatment, and education to those most in need.

This year, the Mars Wrigley Foundation has awarded US$82,000 (approx. AU$110,870) in grant funding to 10 worthy projects and is excited to introduce the 2023 recipients.

Dandelions WA

Dandelions ‘Kindness Kits’
Dandelions WA provide ‘Kindness Kits’ to children and families in WA which contain essential toiletries, clothing and other items to support both individuals and families. With this funding, Dandelions WA will be able to provide Colgate oral healthcare packs to more than 6,000 students.
 

Mind Body Teeth

Oral health home screening for residents in group homes with special health needs
People with intellectual disabilities face a number of barriers such as cost, travel and education when it comes to accessing oral health care. Mind Body Teeth aims to educate home staff on a six-monthly basis to increase the literacy of carers in providing better support to their clients. With the grant funding, Mind Body Teeth will be able to realise its goal of expanding the program to upskill more carers across key communities. This will allow them to provide vital education and increase awareness of the importance of dental health for people with intellectual disabilities.
 

SmileCARE

Improving Oral Health in Aged Care
SmileCARE provides on site, face-to-face, small group oral hygiene instruction training sessions in residential aged care. SmileCARE use dental models, mannequins and specific dental products to best suit geriatric oral health care. SmileCARE aims to educate aged care workers and nursing staff to best achieve better dental hygiene for people living in residential aged care. SmileCARE would use the funding from the grant to provide denture care to residents as well as hands-on training for 60 gerontology nurse practitioners. They will also continue to educate the aged care community through contribution to the RACF’s newsletter series.
 

The Carevan Foundation



 

Who is the Tooth Fairy’s Best Friend?
The Carevan Foundation’s picture book Who is the Tooth Fairy’s Best Friend? is targeted
at primary school aged children from prep through to Grade 2. The book engages children in learning about caring for their teeth by discovering the magic of fluoride for good oral health to reduce the number of children that experience tooth decay, and is given to students alongside a tooth care package. The Carevan Foundation will use the grant to provide education and story books to 522 students in rural regions and Aboriginal communities.
 

James Cook University

Restoring Smiles of the Yarrabah Shire
The shire of Yarrabah is located 60 kilometres from Cairns City with a population of 3,700, 96% of whom identify asAboriginal. JCU will use the grant to offer dental workshops during the Sistember Festival in September. This will involve educating residents on the importance of oral care as well as hosting residents for care in the JCU Dental Clinic. JCU will have three support workers involved in the event to engage and build relationships with members of the community, as well as working with new and expectant mothers. Importantly, the activity will focus on building an ongoing relationship with those in the community to support greater oral healthcare.
 

Diverse Smiles

The Diverse Smiles Project
Diverse Smiles is aimed at people who have recently moved to Australia and are awaiting residency status or a visa. As these members of the community are not eligible for a Medicare card, the cost of dental care is a huge barrier to accessing dental care. With this grant funding, Diverse Smiles will offer emergency care and education resources to people unable to obtain a Medicare card.
 

Community Outreach Dental Program



 

X-ray Unit Replacement
The Community Outreach Dental Program helps more marginalised members of the community in Adelaide to obtain dental care. They provide screenings, restorative services, oral health education and specialised referrals to those who face barriers in accessing dental services. With the funding from the grant, the Community Outreach Dental Program will replace its x-ray unit, which is critical to the program’s ability to provide services for members of the community.
 

Smyla Dental Care



 

Smyla Dental Program
Smyla Dental Program helps families and individuals in low socio-economic areas access dental hygiene. The program provides information talks, dental hygiene workshops, pop-up dental checkups and free Colgate products at community hubs. Its focus is on preventative services to promote oral health, with the grant funding allowing the program to extend its services to more members of the community.
 

Bridging the Gap



 

Providing oral care to children from culturally and linguistically diverse communities
Language and cultural barriers can make it difficult for some members of the community to access oral care, which Bridging the Gap works to address for those who find navigating the health system to be challenging. With the funding from the grant, Bridging the Gap will provide oral care services in community groups and schools in Queensland including information available in a range of languages and home oral care kits.
 

AKction Aboriginal Kidney Care



 

Developing a Preventive Oral Health program for Aboriginal People at Kanggawodli
This project will work to provide oral healthcare to clients of the Kanggawodli Health Service and neighbouring Aboriginal Hostel. Kanggawodli provides accommodation for Aboriginal people who live more than 100 kilometres from Adelaide and are visiting for clinical appointments, many of whom are undertaking renal dialysis and awaiting kidney transplantation.  With the funding from the grant, the project will offer pre-transplant
dental care and education services to reduce oral and systemic infections following the transplant.
 

Reference
 

1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2022. Canberra: AIHW.

- The exact amount distributed in AU$ may fluctuate with the exchange rate at the time of distribution.

It is at the discretion of the Mars Wrigley Foundation and the ADA DHF to determine the amount of funds dispersed and the number of grant recipients based on the merit of applications received.
 

About the Mars Wrigley Foundation
Established in 1987, the Mars Wrigley Foundation aspires to support People & Planet through oral health education, environmental stewardship, and local community partnerships. The foundation has been supporting the Healthier Smiles Community Service Grants program for over a decade, providing funding to key oral health projects around the country.

For more than 25 years, Mars Wrigley has supported independent, clinical research into the benefits of chewing gum, including saliva stimulation and plaque acid neutralisation. The EXTRA® Oral Healthcare Program supports oral health professionals in the promotion of oral health benefits of chewing sugar-free gum as part of a regular oral care routine.

This article was first published in the ADA's News Bulletin, October 2023