For 16 years, the Northeast Delta Dental Foundation has funded oral health programs in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont as a mission-sensitive philanthropic arm of Northeast Delta Dental, based in Concord, New Hampshire. Thanks to Northeast Delta Dental Foundation support, the Circle Program has annually featured dental education during its residential summer camp session at Circle Camp in Groton, New Hampshire. “We have awarded funds to The Circle Program to be used for oral health education and dental screenings because we want girls to develop a lifetime of beneficial oral health habits,” said Betty Andrews, Secretary and Assistant Treasurer of the Foundation.

Barbara Laverack, local dental hygienist and school dental program coordinator from Speare Memorial Hospital, visited Circle Camp to provide the oral hygiene lessons and dental screenings. The Circle Program curriculum places great emphasis on good nutrition, health and wellness, personal hygiene and physical activity; and the dental health workshops were an integral part of the recent camp session. All Circle Girls (ages 9 through 11) and Circle Teens (ages 12 through 18) attending the session participated in the workshops and screenings and then practiced brushing their teeth using disclosing tablets. Girls received a dental supply kit with hygiene brochures, toothpaste, a toothbrush, and floss to use during the session. During the screenings, if Ms. Laverack found a potential dental problem, she contacted the girl’s parent or guardian to arrange for an appointment with a local dentist in the girl’s hometown. Dr. John Messinger, a Plymouth dentist, generously donated additional toothbrushes and toothpaste so the girls had plenty of supplies to take home with them.

The Circle Program thanks Northeast Delta Dental Foundation, along with Barbara Laverack and Dr. John Messinger, for their generous ongoing support of our curriculum and commitment to dental education for girls in our communities.