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02-13-24-penn-dental-med-abhiram-juvvadi
Penn Dental was recently offered a grant towards educational programming for caregivers of people with disabilities. Credit: Abhiram Juvvadi

Penn's School of Dental Medicine was recently awarded a $620,900 grant from the Delta Dental Community Care Foundation Access to Care Grant Program.

The funds, spanning three years, will go towards educational programming for caregivers of people with disabilities. The programming will integrate focus groups, oral health education videos and training tools, and targeted training sessions offered in clinical and community settings for direct service providers. 

The goal of the project is “to educate caregivers using engaging, culturally sensitive methods at appropriate literacy levels,” Clinical Associate Professor at Penn Dental Medicine Stephen Abel said in the announcement. 

The Delta Dental Community Care Foundation awarded a total of $16.3 million in funding through its 2024-25 Access to Care Grants Program, according to the Delta Dental website.

“At Delta Dental, we’re driven by our purpose to improve health by providing access to quality care, just like Penn Dental Medicine,” Clinical Associate Professor at Penn Dental Medicine Kenzie Ferguson said.

About 13.5% of the U.S. population lives with a disability and therefore relies on others to assist with necessary day-to-day activities like oral hygiene, according to the National Council on Disability. However, studies show that both people with disabilities and their caregivers often have low health literacy, which is connected to poor oral hygiene practices, according to Penn Dental Medicine.

“Enhancing the knowledge and attitudes of caregivers can lead to behavior changes that result in improving the oral health of those individuals with disabilities under their care, as well as their own,” Abel said.

According to Penn Dental Medicine, an estimated 4,350 seniors and 9,750 adults below the age of 50 will benefit from this initiative, which expands resources in Penn Dental Medicine’s Care Center for Persons with Disabilities Personalized Care Suite. PCare opened in December 2020 with various disability accommodations. It has since become a major dental care provider in Philadelphia, treating nearly 2,000 patients during the last fiscal year.

Expanding dental care access for those with disabilities has been a focus of Dean Mark Wolff during his leadership of the Dental School.