NORTHERN NEVADA DENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM NEWS RELEASE – The Northern Nevada Dental Health Program (NNDHP), a program founded by the Northern Nevada Dental Society (NNDS) that offers low or no-cost dental care to children in the community, has volunteered to step in where state funding has left off. By donating $55,000 to the Community Health Alliance’s Mobile Dental Sealant Program, the NNDHP hopes to continue helping children understand the importance of proper dental care and prevent more serious oral health conditions by sealing six-year molars in second graders. The free program is offered to children at 30 northern Nevada elementary schools and provides an opportunity for the early diagnosis, prevention and treatment of oral disease.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), tooth decay affects more children in the United States than any other chronic infectious disease, despite the fact that it is almost 100 percent preventable. With proper preventative care, including dental sealants provided by the Mobile Sealant Program, Nevada’s children can avoid this serious health issue. Until recently, the state-funded Sealant Program was offered around the region providing no-cost sealants to area students, placing an average of 3,200 sealants in second graders annually. And now, thanks to the NNDHP, the free program continues to offer imperative dental health care to northern Nevada’s children, reinforcing studies that show that children with good dental habits are healthier overall than children with poor dental health practices.
“When the funding for the Mobile Dental Sealant Program was cut we felt it was our obligation as dental healthcare providers to do something about it – so we did,” said Dr. Gregory Pisani, president of the NNDHP. “By stepping up to fund this program, we will continue to instill good oral and physical health habits in children. It’s a great opportunity for education in our community and I’m proud of all the members of the NNDS and NNHHP who have helped make this happen.”
For 30 years, the NNDHP has offered crucial dental care to low-income children and other underserved populations in the community thanks to a pro bono effort from nearly 130 area dentists. Over the years, such professionals have provided more than $3 million in free care to thousands of local children, utilizing the doctors’ own offices and staff to provide needed care. The Mobile Dental Sealant Program is just one of many programs offered by the NNDHP to the residents of northern Nevada.
For more information please visit www.NNDental.org, contact the NNDHP at 775-870-4309 or call the NNDS at 775-337-0296.
The Northern Nevada Dental Health Program provides quality, no- to low-cost oral health care for economically disadvantaged children who reside in northern Nevada. Services include preventive oral health care such as education, fluoride varnish, dental sealants and teeth cleaning; comprehensive restorative oral health care including general dentistry and specialty care; English and Spanish language capability for better communication; and Medicaid and Nevada Check-Up billing.
