Recipients announced for Healthier Smiles Community Service Grants
- Foundations
- Oral health
The ADA Dental Health Foundation and the Mars Wrigley Foundation congratulate the 10 recipients who are making a key difference to the dental health of underserved communities throughout Australia.
Now in its 14th year, the Healthier Smiles Community Service Grants (the Grants) program continues to play a key role in shifting the needle on oral health outcomes for groups without equitable access to dental health services. Running the gamut from groups which take dental services to remote communities and aged care residents or to at-risk groups like the homeless, or which educate schoolchildren or those in disadvantaged regional communities on core oral health principles, the Grants’ recipients are instrumental in tackling trenchant oral health issues affecting many rural and remote communities and disadvantaged groups.
This year the ADA Dental Health Foundation (ADA DHF), in partnership with the Mars Wrigley Foundation *, has awarded US$107,500 (approx. AU$121,386*) in funding to the following 10 projects, their funding adding to the more than US$1.1 million (approximately AU$1.77 million*) already invested over a decade in oral health screening, treatment and education.
Armasmile (NSW)
This project provides direct support to Aboriginal children, teens, and adults who live in socioeconomically disadvantaged rural areas throughout the New England Tablelands region of northern NSW. The youth target group mainly includes participants of contact sports like rugby league, AFL, union, hockey and soccer where dental injuries frequently occur. The target adult population consists mainly of Aboriginal people on low incomes who suffer from poor oral health due to tooth loss and decay which hinders their eating, speaking and social as well as cultural participation abilities.
Cherbourg Outreach Dental Program (QLD)
Focused on addressing the current shortage of dental professionals within Cherbourg, this project will deliver free on-site dental treatment at the Cherbourg Regional Aboriginal & Islander Community Controlled Health Services (CRAICCHS). By bringing services into the community, this initiative removes the need for residents to travel to Kingaroy, thereby overcoming significant barriers related to transport, cost, and access. The program is delivered in partnership with CRAICCHS to ensure that care is culturally safe and community led. Students and supervisors receive cultural awareness training, and local health workers assist with appointment facilitation, translation, and community liaison, fostering trust and engagement.
Community Outreach Dental Clinic (SA)
The project primarily serves vulnerable populations in South Australia, with a focus on people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. These individuals are among the most socially and economically disadvantaged groups in the country. Homelessness is strongly associated with adverse health, social, and economic outcomes (Fitzpatrick et al, 2013), and individuals in these circumstances carry a disproportionately high burden of oral disease. With rising living costs, rental stress, and increasing rates of homelessness across South Australia, access to essential dental care is becoming ever more out of reach.
Dandelion (WA)
With the invaluable support of educators, it is the goal of this project that all 15,000 children receiving backpacks – including dental hygiene kits – also receive dental hygiene education within their school environment. Teachers, chaplains, and social workers play a vital role in reinforcing the importance of daily dental care. Through their guidance, we aim to ensure that every child not only has access to essential hygiene tools but also gains the knowledge and encouragement needed to build healthy habits for life.
Early Years Oral Health Integration Project (VIC)
The project aims to sustainably improve the oral health of preschoolers in Moe and Morwell, two of Victoria’s most disadvantaged communities, by working with early childhood educators and kindergarten teachers. Workshops will be held to increase educator knowledge of children’s oral health and equip them with the confidence, tools and resources they need to embed oral health practices into daily routines, and play-based oral health education into their curriculum. To bridge the gap between centre and home, children will be provided with oral health packs containing education resources for parents.
“The ADA DHF with the support of the Mars Wrigley Foundation has again attracted many excellent applications for its healthier Smiles Community Service Grants and congratulates the 10 successful grants projects, each of which will receive more than $13,000. Each should create significant and ongoing impact addressing the inequities in access to oral healthcare in Australia by delivering oral healthcare and education in underserved communities across Australia.”
Dr Richard Olive – Chair, Advisory Board, ADA Dental Health Foundation
Healthy Smiles Across the Miles (SA)
This project will hold monthly dental clinics in Streaky Bay and Ceduna with the involvement of volunteer clinicians, in addition to free screenings for oral health issues, including early detection of decay preventive treatments, including Silver Diamine Fluoride for caries arrest. Where feasible, basic restorative services will also be undertaken. Oral hygiene packs, containing toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss, will be distributed and oral health education sessions will be held at schools, community centres, and health hubs.
Proportionate Universalism (VIC)
This project aims to provide mouthguards to socially and geographically disadvantaged children living in regional and remote Victoria by adopting a digital workflow with proven technical know-how and off-the-shelf intraoral scanners. The majority of the project’s paediatric patients reside in townships and stations without access to either public or private dental clinics. The Royal Flying Doctor Service Victoria provides mobile dental services to the target population with a fleet of specially equipped dental trucks. This paediatric dental service is funded by the Victorian State Government through its Smile Squad initiative.
Say it With a Smile (QLD)
These workshops aim to utilise education as a preventative tool and engage children to be more proactive with their oral care and encourage health-related behaviour changes. They endeavour to help children understand the importance of preventative care through proper oral hygiene habits at home, the role of dental practitioners in the community to promote positive future dental experiences, and the role of free sugars in the diet so that they are equipped with the knowledge to make healthier food choices.
Smart Smiles (VIC)
This project is designed to address a growing and urgent gap in oral health care among two of the most underserved and clinically vulnerable populations in Australia: older adults with neurodegenerative conditions and neurodiverse individuals residing in aged care settings. It specifically targets aged care residents living with conditions such as dementia, and Parkinson’s disease, many of whom also have neurodiverse traits and behavioural challenges which further complicate oral health routines. Aged care workers and registered nurses caring for these residents often lack the tools, time, and training to provide effective oral hygiene support.
Smile back at YA! (NSW)
The project’s target population is the Dunghutti people residing in the Mid North Coast area of NSW, specifically Kempsey LGA, a priority population as the water supply is not yet fluoridated. The target Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population are those who have their natural dentition, estimated as approximately 3,000 people. Consideration must be given to factors such as reduced disposable income, the rising cost of living and the recent flooding across the LGA which pose a very real risk of hygiene poverty with some Durri Aboriginal Corporation Medical Service clients reporting they do not have toothbrushes or toothpaste.
“Over the past decade, the Healthier Smiles Community Service Grants program has provided more than AU$1.2 million in funding to volunteer dentists and dental students striving to improve the oral health outcomes and education of some of Australia’s most vulnerable communities. The contributions made by the
grant recipients since the inception of this program have gone a long way in driving meaningful change in the quality of oral healthcare provided to those in need and have inspired more dental volunteers across Australia to support their communities. We look forward to seeing the work the grant recipients this year will deliver to help more Australians transform their oral health and smiles.”
Erin Sing – on behalf of the Mars Wrigley Foundation
The exact amount distributed in AU$ 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.
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