Category: Blog

Meet Lolinda Turner, dental workforce diversity & inclusion program manager at Delta Dental of Washington (DDWA). When she was a practicing registered dental assistant, Turner says that she “didn’t see a lot of other dental professionals who looked like me.” Three years ago, in her current role, Lolinda channeled her skills, experience, and passion for […]

Oral health is an integral part of overall well-being, yet many communities continue to face disparities in accessing oral health care and achieving optimal oral health. As part of an overarching strategy to address these disparities, Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation (DDCOF) launched a workforce initiative in 2021, with the goal of increasing the number […]

Raising a Reader Aspen to Parachute is a nonprofit organization serving the Roaring Fork Valley that provides preschool and kindergarten students with entertaining, educational, and engaging books to read at home, thus building important parent-child bonds. Suzanne Wheeler-Del Piccolo has been the Executive Director at Raising a Reader Aspen to Parachute for over a year. […]

For many, the words, “increasing access to oral health care,” bring to mind images of free oral health screenings or mobile dental clinics. So, it may be a surprise that Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation (DDCOF) is supporting food justice, wealth building, and promotora work (promotoras are community health workers, residents, and identified leaders within […]

Data are crucial to understanding the oral health status of Coloradans and the barriers they face as they try to meet their oral health needs. However, often, data exist but are not readily accessible for decision-making, planning, and needs assessments. To advance oral health equity, Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation (DDCOF) is leading the way […]

Forty days and more than 400 bills and resolutions — what’s next?     Colorado is officially one-third of the way through the 74th Colorado General Assembly. While there has been no specific legislation introduced related to oral health, there are a number of bills that address significant social determinants of health and access to care that […]

Long-time, now-retired physician David Arnett and former Saguache County Commissioner Tim Lovato have a vision. It includes restoring a 100-year-old historical building in the town of Saguache to house dental, medical, pharmacy, physical therapy, veterans, and eventually behavioral health services to serve the town of Saguache and the surrounding county. Dr. Arnett, who worked as […]

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month – a month of observance that brings to the forefront the small practices and daily habits that are within reach of children and their families to keep their teeth and mouths healthy. Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation invests nearly $1 million a year in oral health prevention programs across the […]

Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation knows that achieving lasting oral health improvements requires advocacy and changes at a policy level. As part of our commitment to helping all Coloradans achieve their optimal oral health, we engage individuals and communities experiencing oral health inequities and disparities to identify and understand the root causes of structural and […]

There is a well-demonstrated relationship between systemic and oral health. More than 90% of all systemic diseases can be linked to oral health such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and dementia. Because of this critically important link, the integration of medical and dental care is crucial for overall patient health. In the medical-dental integration (MDI) model, […]