LISLE, Ill., July 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Dental of Illinois (DDIL) has awarded $45,000 to three Illinois agencies to help educate Illinois citizens on oral health and improve access to care for the underserved in the state. DDIL awards these grants three times per year; the three agencies are the first grantees for 2008. Part of DDIL's mission is to improve the oral health of the communities it serves. The oral health grants are a key part of DDIL's community benefit program to help achieve that mission. As such, DDIL supports organizations and projects that help improve oral health access or promote oral health education in the state.

The grants awarded by DDIL include: The Logan County Health Department in Lincoln received a $10,000 grant to implement an oral health program at Logan County's Food Pantry, which serves approximately 1,300 people per month. On a quarterly basis, information about oral health -- along with toothbrushes, toothpaste and dental floss -- will be distributed with food items. Children and pregnant women on Medicaid, or those without insurance coverage will be referred to and treated by the HOPE Mobile, a mobile dental unit serving Logan County children and the only dental provider presently accepting new Medicaid patients.

Milestone Dental Clinic in Rockford received a grant of $10,000 to expand the services they offer to special needs patients in Northwest Illinois to the Greater Chicago area. Through the expansion of services, Milestone Dental Clinic will be able to provide special needs children and adults in the Greater Chicago area with preventative, restorative, routine and emergent care. The clinic expects to increase its client base from 2,400 individuals to 3,500.

The Illinois Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped (IFDH) received a $25,000 donation, which will support the Donated Dental Services program for elderly, disabled or medically compromised Illinois residents who cannot afford care for severe dental problems and are not eligible for public aid. The IFDH expects to help 425 Illinois residents get $1.1 million dollars in donated care during this fiscal year.

"Part of Delta Dental of Illinois' mission is to continually seek ways for residents of Illinois to have access to quality oral health care and education," said Robert Dennison, D.M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Delta Dental of Illinois. "Through our grant program, we are able to assist a number of community-focused organizations in their missions to provide beneficial health programs for the entire state. We are honored to be part of this joint, positive endeavor with these deserving grantees."

Delta Dental of Illinois (DDIL) is a not-for-profit dental service corporation specializing in providing comprehensive, easy-to-use and cost-effective benefits to 1.4 million enrollees and family members in more than 3,600 employee groups throughout Illinois. Based in Lisle, Ill., DDIL offers an array of extensive nationwide network-based managed fee-for-service, PPO and dental HMO plans.

Contact: Ann Marie Walker

awalker@deltadentalil.com