MOTIVATE Earns $100,000 Grant from DentaQuest Foundation
In celebration of National Dental Hygiene Month in October, Lunder-Dineen is pleased to announce that it has received a $100,000 grant from the DentaQuest Foundation for its MOTIVATE oral health initiative to improve oral health education and further assess barriers to oral health care in Maine.
Lunder-Dineen was chosen based on its commitment to providing quality, free health education and bettering the lives of its community members through the MOTIVATE initiative. The sizeable grant will be used to develop the innovative, blended-learning, interprofessional education framework to address the identified gaps from the needs assessment research.
The DentaQuest Foundation has committed itself to supporting organizations through grant-making efforts to build the oral health network at the local, state and national level. The goals of the funding are consistent with the DentaQuest Foundation’s Oral Health 2020 campaign, which emphasizes a reduction in childhood oral disease, inclusion of oral health in the public education system and expansion of dental benefits under the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
“We’re excited to partner with Lunder-Dineen, a proven advocate for health education,” said Ralph Fuccillo, president of the DentaQuest Foundation. “Our mission is to improve the oral health of all, and by engaging with Lunder-Dineen, we look forward to supporting their important efforts in Maine.”
After analyzing identified gaps and opportunities, the MOTIVATE initiative will leverage the support from the DentaQuest Foundation and the infrastructure and curriculum development expertise of Massachusetts General Hospital, Lunder-Dineen, and beyond to develop a model of interprofessional education in partnership with the MOTIVATE advisory team. This model will enable care teams to provide effective, efficient oral health care to older adults as part of a patient-centered care model.
For more information about MOTIVATE, visit lunderdineen.org/oral-health.
Lunder-Dineen Presents at National Oral Health Conference
Lunder-Dineen Executive Director Labrini Nelligan and Senior Program Manager Denise O’Connell presented a breakout session on MOTIVATE in October at DentaQuest’s third annual Oral Health 2020 National Network Gathering in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The event was the foundation's largest gathering ever with 250 people from all 50 states in attendance, and allowed participants to connect with new partners, challenge one another, and track against the six Oral Health 2020 goals to improve lifelong oral health and eradicate dental disease.

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