Columbus, OH … January 5, 2007 - A grant from Delta Dental of Ohio and its charitable arm, the Delta Dental Foundation, will go a long way in helping members of the Ohio Dental Association (ODA) provide a little peace of mind to parents of children.

Helping to preserve a means of identification should a child go missing, or a body needs to be identified, 3,000 children will be offered Toothprint bite impressions as part of the Give Kids A Smile! programs in Ohio starting next month.

The Toothprint bite impressions will be taken at numerous GKAS sites in Ohio where free dental care and other dental services will be provided to children in need – the majority of these children have never seen a dentist before. The Toothprint process is a simple one: a thin thermoplastic wafer is softened in water and placed in the child’s mouth. The child bites down, similar to other dental bite registrations, and the unique bitemark of the child is imprinted on the wafer. The wafer is then placed in a special plastic bag, and given to the parent to keep.

Dr. H. Sam Fick of Toledo, president of the Ohio Dental Association, said the thought of needing a dental ID of a child is hard to fathom, but realistically, it’s a good measure. “We hear too much about predators and children ‘kidnapped’ and appearances altered by a parent during custody disputes. A Toothprint could provide a definitive identification of a child in such an instance,” he said.

The grant also helps cover the cost of printing booklets given to families of children seen during GKAS! Day programs. These booklets, “Brushing Up On Smiles,” educate parents on why their child needs to establish a relationship with a dentist early on, covering issues such as what causes a cavity, the importance of good oral hygiene, who the people in the dental office are and more. “We thank Delta Dental for its continued support of our efforts to help children and the services we can provide through Give Kids A Smile,” Fick said.

Nancy E. Hostetler, senior vice president of the Delta Dental Foundation, applauds the efforts of the ODA, Ohio dentists and other volunteers who will participate in the fifth annual GKAS! Day. “This program reaches out to children in need, and the programs held by members of the Ohio Dental Association and other volunteers are significant in the numbers of children they see and the volunteer services so freely given,” Hostetler said. “The Toothprints enhance the public service efforts and are a meaningful tool for families.”

Officially scheduled for Feb. 2, 2007, GKAS programs will be held for several weeks or longer throughout the state. More than $1,023,000.00 in free dental services is anticipated, reaching nearly 24,000 children in Ohio. Over 2,000 volunteers are expected to participate in the programs.

Give Kids A Smile! Day Ohio would not be as successful without support from others. In addition to services and materials provided by the American Dental Association, Ohio Dental Association and the Delta Dental Foundation, national support is provided by Colgate, Sullivan- Schein Dental, U.S. dental division of Henry Schein, and Dexis Digital X-ray Systems, Inc.

The Ohio Dental Association serves 5,400 members in Ohio – approximately 80 percent of Ohio’s practicing dentists. For information on public service programs, oral health issues, and dentistry in Ohio, visit www.oda.org – Ohio’s resource for oral health.