CHIP of Roanoke Valley receives dental care grant

News Release
Published: June 5, 2008

Read the news release below

Dental caries (cavities) affect a child’s growth, lead to malocclusion, and result in significant pain. Low-income children tend to experience dental disease and its consequences in epidemic proportions—20% of indigent 3 year olds in Virginia have visible tooth decay and by kindergarten, 25% have visible, untreated decay.

In September 2006, CHIP’s Board of Directors voted to implement the Begin With a Grin Program, an innovative approach to providing preventive dental care to children who are at risk for dental caries and long term dental disease. The program combines timely oral assessment, dental hygiene education and semi-annual in-home application of protective fluoride varnish to CHIP enrolled children between 6 months and 36 months of age.

Since the program’s initiation, 498 CHIP-enrolled children have received over 709 dental varnish applications through the Begin With a Grin program. An estimated 344 enrolled children are in the eligible age range to receive varnish applications. 

“Tooth decay is preventable,” said Bud Conklin, DDS and Director of Carilion’s Dental Care Program.  “Nationally, children from low-income families have 5 times more tooth decay than middle to high-income families.  As a former member of the CHIP of Roanoke Valley Board of Directors, I am proud of the efforts CHIP is taking to address oral health issues in low-income children.”

Travis Barham, DDS, of Carilion Dental Care Pediatrics, added “A similar fluoride varnish program in North Carolina produced a 40 percent reduction in caries rates of young children.”

CHIP’s Begin With a Grin dental varnish program was recently awarded a five-year grant through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children.  The grant will provide support for the Begin With a Grin program in the amount of $35,555 each year through 2013. 

The Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children’s Program is a collaborative effort between the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Maternal Child Health Bureau that distributes grants to promote community planning and problem solving at the local level.  CHIP’s mission is to promote the health of medically under-served children in the Virginia cities of Roanoke and Salem and the counties of Roanoke, Botetourt and Craig by ensuring comprehensive health care, strengthening families, and coordinating resources in a public/private partnership.