More young children suffer from tooth decay than from any other chronic condition, including asthma, according to the Children’s Dental Health Project.

Kids at the highest risk for dental decay inspired pediatric dentist Dr. Burton Edelstein visit to Congress in 1996. One year later, he created the Children’s Dental Health

(Photo courtesy cdhp.org) After 21 years of private practice in Connecticut, Dr. Burton Edelstein set his focus on making it easier for high-risk kids to get dental care.

Project as “the voice for children’s oral health.” And in 2009, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was reauthorized—with dental requirements and $100 million in new funding for children’s oral health.

Today, almost 47 million children have access to dental coverage through Medicaid and CHIP dental safety net programs, and the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) William J. Gies Awards for Vision, Innovation and Achievement is recognizing the progress made.

On March 14 at a celebration to be held in conjunction with the 2016 ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition “Shaping Tomorrow Together” in Denver, CO, Children’s Dental Health Project will be among honorees in the spotlight.

Honorees were selected by a distinguished panel of judges, consisting of the ADEA Gies Foundation Board of Trustees. The 2016 Gies Award recipients, according to adea.org are:

Gies Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Public or Private Partner
Children’s Dental Health Project

Gies Award for Outstanding Achievement by an Academic Dental Institution
University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine

Gies Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Dental Educator
Mark C. Herzberg, D.D.S., Ph.D. 
University of Minnesota School of Dentistry

Gies Award for Outstanding Innovation by a Public or Private Partner
The University of Iowa College of Dentistry & Dental Clinics and Delta Dental of Iowa

Gies Award for Outstanding Vision by a Public or Private Partner
University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, and the Minnesota Board of Dentistry

Gies Award for Outstanding Vision by an Academic Dental Institution
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry

Gies Award for Outstanding Innovation by an Academic Dental Institution
University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, Department of Prosthodontics

Gies Award for Outstanding Vision by a Dental Educator
Harold C. Slavkin, D.D.S. 
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC

Tickets for the celebration can be purchased online at adea.org/2016 when registering for the 2016 ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition. For information on table sponsorship, contact Trish Smith at tsmith@wearecoulter.com or 703-506-3272.

The Procter & Gamble Company is the premier sponsor of the awards.