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Good dental habits begin at a young age.
Casa Grande, Ariz. — Thanks to a 2018 grant for $20,000 from Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation, Sun Life Family Health Center’s community dental program has been able to serve children of the Pinal County School systems by providing oral hygiene instruction, dental screenings and fluoride application.
In addition, every child is given an oral health kit containing a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss. Children in need of additional dental services are provided with a list of dentists, including Sun Life’s new pediatric dental facility in Casa Grande.
“This oral health grant from Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation has allowed us to introduce oral health to so many children who otherwise would probably go without any type of dental treatment,” said Chief Executive Officer, Travis Robinette. “We are proud of our five year partnership with Delta Dental and look forward to serving many more children in our community with their support.”
Tooth decay, which is largely preventable, remains one of the most common chronic diseases for children — five times as common as asthma, and seven times as common as hay fever, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pinal County is a predominantly rural county, in which approximately 18 percent of the population lives below the poverty level. Children living in poverty do not visit the dentist as regularly, or as early on in life, as children living in higher income families.
Children Served by Sun Life’s Community Dental Program
- 2015: 1223 Children screened/ fluoride varnish
- 2016: 2246 Children screened/fluoride varnish
- 2017: 3120 Children screened/fluoride varnish
- 2018: 600 (January – May) Children screened/fluoride varnish
To learn more about Sun Life Family Health Center, visit www.SunLifeFamilyHealth.org.
About Sun Life Family Health Center
Sun Life Family Health Center is Pinal County’s largest primary care provider, and was one of the first community health centers in the state to have received accreditation from the Joint Commission (the gold standard of quality in healthcare). Sun Life serves both insured and uninsured patients, and provides health services in family practice, dentistry, women’s health, pediatrics, integrated behavioral health, diabetes education, and much more.
Sun Life operates several family practice offices, located in Apache Junction, Casa Grande, Coolidge, Eloy, Florence, Maricopa, Oracle, and San Manuel. Women’s wellness and maternity services are available at our Centers for Women in Apache Junction, Casa Grande, Chandler and Maricopa. Both Family and Pediatric Dentistry are available in Casa Grande. Our Apache Junction, Casa Grande, Eloy, Florence, Maricopa, and San Manuel locations offer a public pharmacy. Sun Life offers Pediatrics in Casa Grande and Maricopa.
To learn more about office locations and hours, visit www.sunlifefamilyhealth.org. Sun Life… Excellence in health, wellness and education.
There are news or informational items frequently written by staff or submitted to the Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner, Superior Sun, Pinal Nugget or Oracle Towne Crier for inclusion in our print or digital products. These items are not credited with an author.
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