DDNJ Foundation Celebrates 35 Years of Empowering Healthy Smiles

PARSIPPANY, NJ — The Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Delta Dental of New Jersey (DDNJ) celebrates 35 years of empowering healthy smiles – an important milestone as it has enabled uninsured/underinsured children, seniors, veterans, and developmentally disabled persons across New Jersey and Connecticut to receive vital dental care and education.

It also marks Delta Dental, New Jersey’s leading dental benefits company, as an essential philanthropic organization in NJ for more than half of its 52-year history. The DDNJ Foundation has donated more than $21 million in grants to countless organizations since its inception.

“The DDNJ Foundation is proud to have spent the past 35 years working alongside NJ and CT nonprofits who are dedicated to improving and increasing access to dental care and education,” said Dennis Wilson, president and CEO of Delta Dental of New Jersey. “My hope for the future is to continue to see the intrinsic link between oral health and overall health come full circle and positively impact our communities by mitigating the effects that poverty and other health disparities can have on oral health.”

The Delta Dental Foundation provides nearly $1 million in grant funding annually to more than 30 organizations serving its core populations. In 2021, the DDNJ Foundation donated more than $921K in S.M.I.L.E. and S.M.I.L.E. mini grants to 32 organizations, including its longest-running grantee Zufall Health and newcomers Veteran’s Smile Day Foundation and Catch Global Foundation. Veteran’s Smile Day Foundation provided free dental services to 45 veterans on October 2, which was supported by a Delta Dental Saluting SMILES mini grant. Catch Global Foundation, also a recipient of a S.M.I.L.E. mini grant, is educating Connecticut school children on the oral health implications of vaping.

“I’m so proud of the life-changing work the Delta Dental Foundation has facilitated through its grant programs for more than three decades,” said Gene Napoliello, DDS, chairman, Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation. “In recent years, we have focused on supporting dental care for our veterans – restoring the smiles of those who sacrificed so much for our country. As a veteran and a dentist, I am humbled to be able to help restore our heroes’ smiles.”

The DDNJ Foundation also launched its first-ever Challenge Grant to JFK University Medical Center Foundation for their program to support prenatal dental care for moms and babies. This challenge grant was matched by Hackensack Meridian Health Board member and Board Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon Michael A. Kleiman, DMD, and his wife, Frayda, and will increase the number of moms and babies receiving care through this grant program. The DDNJ Foundation also teamed up with Rutgers School of Dental Medicine to provide life-changing dental care to three young people with rare dental conditions through its SMILE Transformation Grant.

To learn more about how the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation is serving local communities, please visit https://www.deltadentalnj.com/our-foundation

About Delta Dental

Delta Dental of New Jersey, Inc. is New Jersey’s leading dental benefits company, providing or administering coverage to more than 1.8 million people through contracts with groups in New Jersey and Connecticut. In Connecticut, Delta Dental of Connecticut, Inc. is a licensed insurer that writes dental coverage on an insured basis, and Delta Dental of New Jersey administers self-funded dental benefit programs. Delta Dental’s philanthropic arm, the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation, works to improve the oral health of New Jersey and Connecticut residents by providing charitable contributions to solve oral health care challenges.

Offering dental benefits since 1969, Delta Dental of New Jersey’s mission is to promote oral health to the greatest number of people by providing accessible dental benefit programs of the highest quality, service, and value. We are a not-for-profit service corporation and, as a member of Delta Dental Plans Association, we’re part of a network that provides national dental coverage to more than 80 million people. For more information, visit DeltaDentalNJ.com.