The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Children International has received a $10,000 grant from the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation to provide dental treatment to children in the Little Rock School District.

“I’d like to thank Delta Dental for being the most supportive organization of the Future Smiles Dental Clinic since we opened in 2005,” said Jolene Perkins, manager of the Future Smiles Dental Clinic. “They have contributed over $300,000 in support of the clinic over the years.”

UA Little Rock Children International provides dental care to approximately 2,000 students a year in the Little Rock School District through its Future Smiles Dental Clinic.

The grant will fund the purchase of dental supplies and equipment needed for the clinic based at Wakefield Elementary School. The clinic provides dental screenings, fluoride varnish, oral health education, sealants, and other forms of comprehensive dental care.

Since 2000, the dental program has provided dental screenings to more than 42,000 children. The clinic is staffed with a dentist from Arkansas Children’s Hospital and dental hygiene students from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. More than $3.3 million of dental care has been provided to children at the dental clinic at no cost to their families.

UA Little Rock was one of 23 nonprofit organizations in Arkansas who received a total of $500,000 in grants from the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation. The awards will support community-focused oral health initiatives across the state. The funding, awarded through the foundation’s annual Community Grants Program, will ultimately benefit hundreds of thousands of Arkansans, especially low-income, uninsured, and underserved residents.

“We are thrilled to award these grants,” said Chrissy Chatham, executive director of Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation. “They support and nurture meaningful, transformational projects that promote improved oral health for individuals who need it the most. It’s our goal for all Arkansans to achieve good oral health and therefore, improve their quality of life.”

The 2021 Community Grants are being awarded to projects that offer treatment, prevention programs, and/or educational programs related to oral health. Since 2015, the foundation has contributed an average of $1 million per year to local communities to support oral health education, prevention, and treatment programs.