Because of the disparity in oral health care available for adults, they are an important target population for the PVDHF. The 2009 $25,000 Grant from the DTAF helps the Foundation move forward and achieve their potential, establishing a model that other schools can use to increase access to care. Grant goals include increasing capacity to rotate every senior dental student through this model, and providing needed same-day crown services to our patient population, while exposing dental students to the most up-to-date technologies in the marketplace.

The DTAF grant was also used to allow the Piedmont program to expand beyond its volunteer capacity by hiring a full-time dentist. Although regional support is impressive, with 80% of local dentists participating in the program for two to three full days, there were times when scheduling was difficult. Dr. Risa Odum, Staff Dentist, helps the program fill in gaps when volunteers are unavailable, improving quality through continuity of care.

Thanks to the grant generously funded by DTAF members, the PVDHF was able to increase production to the public by 33%. From August 1, 2006 to November 9, 2009, the program has delivered $1,618,567 in services, providing care for 4,932 adults and 2,489 Medicaid patients. It is hoped that the PDHF model can be utilized across the nation.