Two Rivers Public Health

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A nonprofit fundraiser supporting

Lexington Community Foundation
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Helping to close the gap on inequitable access to dental care in an agricultural area

$375

raised by 5 people

$5,000 goal

LifeSmiles: A Rural Nebraska Dental Program


Helping to close the gap on inequitable access to dental care in an agricultural area. LifeSmiles operates through grant funding, which matches all donations 100%


Introduction

Two Rivers Public Health Department (TRPHD) is Nebraska’s most populous rural public health district, home to 100,000 people across 4,500 square miles. Only the cities of Kearney, Holdrege, Minden, and Alma fluoridate their water. Over half of TRPHD’s cities and towns, including the second largest city of Lexington (pop 10,115) do not fluoridate its drinking water supply.

Objectives

The primary goals are prevention, education, empowering parents to create and maintain positive habits, and ensuring children establish a dental home with a local dentist before dental disease can develop. As LifeSmiles donations are 100% matched through grant funding, we ask you to please help us take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity by contributing to this important program!

TRPHD Stats

In total, TRPHD provided: 

  • 2,612 screenings
  • 1,453 fluoride treatments
  • 3,293 teeth were sealed  
  • 333 infant dental kits were distributed

Methodology

Since 2012, TRPHD has run the LifeSmiles Dental Program in partnership with community-based groups to provide preventive dental services through preschools, Head Start, schools, and WIC clinics in the 7 counties served by TRPHD. The dental team of two dental assistants and three dental hygienists provide:

  • Basic Screenings
  • Dental Education
  • Early Childhood Dental Starter kits
  • Fluoride Treatments
  • Tooth Sealants
  • Silver Diamine Fluoride Treatments
  • Dental Health Guidance for Parents of Newborns
  • Hispanic American children in Nebraska are about 50% less likely to have had a preventive dental visit in the previous year
  • About 50% more likely to be detected with tooth decay during screening

Increasing Equity

  • TRPHD has high rates of poverty and homelessness among children, especially in counties that have a higher proportion of immigrants and lower access to services.
  • According to the NIH, Nebraska had 1,244 active dentists in the entire state in 2019.   This equates to about 64 dentists per 100,000 people.
  • Decay can be spread between children in a household through sharing toys and drinking containers.

Sustainability

  • 100% of TRPHD Staff donate to the LifeSmiles Program
  • TRPHD is actively seeking methods to bill through Medicaid and other insurance programs

Donation Breakdown

$12 = 1 child

$25 = 2 children

$50 = 4 children

$100 = 8 children

$120 = 10 children

$240 = 1 classroom

Giving Activity