Announcement of 2025 Community Grant Winners for the Illinois State Dental Society Foundation

Priority is given to proposals that have measurable improvement goals, show strong community support for the project, and are innovative. The grant program attracted the interest of 25 worthwhile organizations actively working to expand access to oral health care services to needy individuals around the state. This year, $75,000 in grant money was awarded to 16 organizations for projects aimed at providing access to dental care and increasing oral health awareness and education.

After careful review, the grant review committee selected the following winners:

Jerger Pediatric Dentistry $3000
Jerger Pediatric Dentistry has collaborated with the Teddy Bear Dental Fund since its inception in 1999. Without the effort of this program, many children would not have access to dental treatment. The program is a truly unique effort founded by community members. The purpose is to assist with the cost of the extensive dental needs of children and patients with special needs who could not otherwise afford necessary dental work.

The fund was established and has continued to operate through donations and support from its community, despite not having a benefit for several years. The fund will only be able to continue if sufficient funds are available. Some of their area dentists assist by donating their time and providing dental care at the cost of the supplies. This non-profit organization has no overhead expenses, thanks to Crossing Health Care. Teddy Bear pays 70% of the amount, and the family pays 30%. This allows the family to invest in the outcome and allows Teddy Bear to help as many patients as possible. Dr. Bret Jerger provides a 25% in-kind donation for each patient. The children and special needs patients they support have a medical card, and no one takes it.

Well Child Center $4000
A portion of the funds requested through the ISDSF grant will be utilized to purchase equipment (handpiece), supplies, and materials needed for the community- and school-based dental clinics. Funds will also support the CDHC's time working at the clinics and coordinating follow-up care and treatment for children seen in the same facility. The remaining portion of the funds requested through the ISDSF grant will be utilized to purchase supplies and materials to raise educational awareness.

205 Direct Dental Services, Inc: Dr. H. Cyrus Oates $10,000
205 Direct Dental Services Inc. is in the process of raising approximately $950,000 to build and operate a dental clinic to expand access for public aid students at the Rockford Public School District 205. This expansion will enable the 12,000 students who currently receive preventive care to also receive restorative care when needed. Well over fifty percent of the students who receive preventative care are in dire need of immediate restorative care. Additionally, transportation will be provided by the school district, effectively reducing the no-show rates to essentially zero. This endeavor will result in every student having an actual dental home.

University of Illinois Chicago $5000
The primary objective of their project is to establish and operate "Molar Clinics" within the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). These clinics aim to provide early screenings for six-year molars in Illinois children through a student-led initiative. The project aims to enhance dental students' learning and increase caregivers' awareness of enamel defects in the first permanent molars.

In the program's initial year, dental students affiliated with the UIC Pediatric Dentistry Club will receive training on early screening techniques and education for caregivers. They will conduct screenings, provide targeted educational materials, and implement preventive interventions. The goal is to improve caregivers' oral health literacy and enhance long-term learning for the dental workforce while mitigating the burden of dental treatment. Currently, no similar initiative exists in the state of Illinois.

Board of Trustees, Southern Illinois University $2000
The specific objectives of the program are to provide oral health services to the underserved adult populations in southern Illinois. Their primary focus this year will be on adult patients who are uninsured or have a fixed income. They aim to ensure that these patients receive optimal oral health education and information, thereby improving their oral and overall health. Another objective is to provide options for a dental home within the local SIU Community Dental Center to address their restorative needs.

Volunteer dentists and dental hygienists, as well as students and faculty from the SIU Dental Hygiene program, will provide preventive services, including dental exams, x-rays, oral hygiene education, prophylaxis, and/or non-surgical periodontal procedures with or without anesthesia, as well as fluoride varnish. Their goal is to have students learn from the implementation of this project and see how the dental hygiene process of care works. They want to treat about 20-25 patients during this event. Dental hygiene students who provide care will be supervised by SIU Dental Hygiene faculty and will be monitored to ensure completion of all procedures.

DeWitt - Piatt Bi-County Health Department $5000
The DeWitt-Piatt Bi-County Health Department requested funds to maintain its dental clinic, as it meets the growing dental needs identified in the bi-county area of DeWitt and Piatt Counties. Their clinic is the only one in the bi-county area that accepts new patients with Illinois Medicaid, and approximately 90% of patients are either on Illinois Medicaid or considered low-income. In the past six months, they have expanded their clinic from one day per week with a dentist to three days per week with a dentist. They also maintain a full-time Public Health Dental Hygienist who can work all five days per week.

Due to the reimbursement rates of Illinois Medicaid, their dental clinic is unable to maintain extra funds to replace worn equipment. Over the past year, they have had to replace a vacuum system and two X-ray units. This was completed with the support of the Oral Health Promotion grant from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Their clinic also supports a mobile unit that visits bi-county area schools to provide services, including exams, cleanings, fluoride varnish treatment, sealants, and, new for this school year, silver diamine fluoride treatments. They also refer those students back to their clinic for further care. They will purchase an autoclave and an ultrasonic, as both of their machines are still functioning but show signs of severe wear. Since their dental clinic and school program uses both units, which are vital for required sterilization, they need to be replaced before they can no longer be used. 

Hult Center for Healthy Living $5000
Assessment reveals that residents consider dental health one of the top ten most significant health issues in the local tri-county area (Partnership for a Healthy Community, 2022). This assessment also noted substantial social determinants of health as they relate to dental health, as it was determined that dental care tends to be lower for Black people, Latino people, and Peoria County residents. This program aims to provide dental health education and resources to those at risk for poor dental health.

Chicago Family Health Center $5000
They will purchase dental extraction hand tools to allow CFHC's dentists to perform more complex dental extractions in-house. By purchasing the tools to perform complex extractions, they will be able to reduce the number of referrals made to external dental surgeons, allowing CFHC to serve an additional 450 patients annually who need dental surgery—a 64% increase in the number of oral surgery patients served in-house. CFHC's project aligns with the Illinois State Dental Society Foundation's priority of expanding access to oral health care for low-income individuals and families, which make up 64% of the patients served by CFHC.

Dental Access Days Inc $5000
Dental Access Days Inc. owns and maintains a 10-chair mobile dental clinic equipped to provide cleanings, restorations, and extractions in a safe and hygienic environment. They set up at convenient locations for those who have little to no access to dental care by partnering with agencies and organizations that work with that population.

Their goal is to stage 5 dental clinics in 2025. Each clinic will provide cleanings, restorations, and extractions for approximately 36 patients. They carefully track the care they provide so it can be reported with verifiable fee equivalents. The funds will enable them to service approximately 180 patients at a rate of $50 per patient. The grant will help with oral health improvements for patients in the Chicago Metro area who would not have received care otherwise.

The Ark $5000
The Ark's Dental Clinic provides complete dental care for more than 400 low-income, uninsured individuals annually at no cost. The Ark's staff dentist, hygienist, and dental assistant provide treatment at the on-site clinic. The funding will help defray the costs of dental supplies and other dental appliances. The Dental Clinic enhances the health of hundreds of low-income, uninsured patients by expanding their access to emergency and ongoing oral health care and providing personalized dental education.

Their dental clinic patients range in age from 19 to 98. These patients are particularly vulnerable to serious health problems because of poverty, lack of insurance, lack of access to health care (especially dental care), and often, mental illness. The Dental Clinic's budget for next year is $342,650. Funding from the Illinois State Dental Society Foundation will help defray the costs of operating the clinic.

Loyola Medical Center $5000
The program serves Illinois youth aged 14–22 with special healthcare needs, including those with autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, developmental disabilities, chronic illness, and other conditions affecting oral health. Participants will primarily come from Medicaid-insured or low-income families with limited access to specialized care. Patients will be identified from local high schools and Special Education Transition Programs in the areas surrounding Loyola University Medical Center, including Maywood, Berwyn, Bellwood, Broadview, Forest Park, Hillside, and Melrose Park. Existing relationships, such as our partnership with Lyons Township High School in LaGrange, will support outreach and recruitment.

The project aims to provide dental care to 15 patients over the course of one year, encompassing treatment in both clinical and surgical settings. The grant will support preventive, restorative, and prosthodontic care not covered by Medicaid. The program also emphasizes caregiver education and provides adaptive home-care tools (e.g., mouth props, toothbrushes, floss). Educational materials and training will promote long-term oral health maintenance.

Hancock County Dental Center $5000
Hancock County is a rural county with only two practicing dentists currently in the County. During the time that the Dental Center was closed, access to care was limited to one dentist. With the Dental Center reopening, access to care is a top priority, especially for seniors, low-income individuals, and those younger than 18. The Dental Center is also the only clinic in Hancock County that accepts Medicaid insurance for dental services. Since the Dental Center was closed for two and a half years and the staff is new, there have been some delays in insurance credentialing, resulting in slow reimbursements.

Although the staff has worked diligently since Dr. Johnson joined the Dental Center, this process has slowed the ability to maintain a sufficient stock of clinical supplies. The goal of the Dental Center is to maintain sufficient backup supplies so that no patient is turned away due to low supplies. As with any start of a new dental practice, there are supply expenses to build up inventory. Since the Dental Center opened in January 2025, 522 patients have been seen, including 148 who underwent comprehensive exams.

NCH Foundation $2500 
The NCH Mobile Dental Clinic serves low-income members of the community, offering a range of preventive and restorative dental services to adults and children. The clinic rotates locations daily, and in addition to seeing patients at their township sites, they also visit children at the various schools with which they partner. Their current school-based program includes five elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools. All the children they see are low-income, and many of them have recently immigrated to the United States, have disabilities, or have difficulty finding access to affordable dental care.

A significant portion of the students treated by the clinic are not yet enrolled in Medicaid. The clinic charges a $40 co-pay per visit for adults who do not have Medicaid, but anyone under 19 years old is not charged. The lack of Medicaid reimbursement and co-pay causes the clinic to operate at a larger loss than normal when visiting school sites. The funding will enable them to continue visiting schools and provide much-needed preventive and restorative treatment.

Aurora Christian Healthcare $5000
Aurora Christian Healthcare is a faith-based, nonprofit clinic, with approximately 50% of its services being dental hygiene and treatment services. Aurora Christian Healthcare is the only known free dental clinic in the greater Aurora, Illinois area. Research indicates that at least 14% of Aurora-area residents lack any insurance; even more lack dental insurance. Many individuals lack the financial resources to cover the cost of dental care out of pocket. The current demand for services demonstrates the high need for dental resources, as evidenced by the wait list. Aurora Christian Healthcare is prioritizing their dental services to meet this need. This grant fund will help continue and expand their dental treatment and hygiene services to the underserved members of the community.

Bethany For Children & Families $4500
Bethany's Give Kids a Smile mobile dental clinic provides children who would otherwise go without access to no-cost oral healthcare. Children receive an exam, cleaning, sealants (if applicable), and SDF (silver diamine fluoride) if needed. Since the fall of 2025, Bethany's mobile dental clinic has visited 67 schools and provided services to more than 2200 children. The goal of the project is to increase the number of children served to 2700. A portion of the requested funds may be used to replace the clinic's generator, which provides electricity to the inside of the mobile dental clinic. This is a one-time expense. Currently, the GKAS mobile dental clinic needs a new generator to provide power to the lights and instruments inside the vehicle.

ICN SHIFA Clinic $4000
ICN SHIFA Clinic work improves access to care and addresses oral health inequities for under-resourced populations. They have a very international patient base. Their patients come from all over the world. Relief organizations refer most. They need dental care and cannot afford it. The services offered by the clinic include exams, x-rays, prophy cleanings, deep cleanings, fillings, extractions, and oral hygiene instructions. They work on adults as well as children. There are no age limits, and the clinic does not discriminate on race, religion, or political affiliation. With the grant money, they intend to purchase new supplies as they will be seeing twice the number of patients now that the clinic is open on Saturdays and Sundays. The new equipment would replace the old, used equipment, and give dentists, hygienists, and assistants the ability to practice high-quality dentistry. They are eager to set up a successful dental clinic for many years to come.