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Maui - The HMSA Foundation has awarded a $100,000 grant to support the UH Maui College “Improving Oral Health for Native Hawaiian Prenatal Mothers and Children” demonstration project.  The program will provide educational sessions and oral health screenings for the 3rd and 7th grade students, and women who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant at Maui schools, churches, and health fairs, while providing an opportunity for UH Maui College students to have hands-on service-learning experience.

Through this outreach, women and children will receive oral health and blood pressure screenings and recommended preventative dental care including dental cleanings, sealants, fluoride varnish, and referral for further treatment when necessary.

Allied Health Department Chair at UH Maui College Nancy Johnson stated, “ We are grateful to HMSA Foundation for supporting the collaboration between UHMC, Hui No Ke Ola Pono and Maui school to document and address oral health needs in Maui children and prenatal women,” Johnson continued, “It is well documented that early identification and treatment of oral health disease is a cost effective way to reduce school absences, emergency room visits, diseases like diabetes and hypertension, and the tragedy of preterm births. This program will screen hundreds of children and approximately 50 prenatal women.  The vast majority of individuals do not realize they have dental disease and the potential consequences. When dental needs are identified during the screening, the women and children will be referred for care.”

The program uses Healthy People 2020 Oral Health goals and is a collaborative effort involving UH Maui College Oral Health Center, Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene faculty and students, Native Hawaiian students and faculty members, and the Hui No Ke Ola Pono, Inc. Native Hawaiian Health Care System.

“Developing a healthy, dental routine starts at an early age and that’s why it’s so important to reach out to young mothers and their children,” says Mark Forman, executive administrator of the HMSA Foundation. “Through this program, students from the UH Maui College will be providing a service while helping our keiki develop good habits to last a lifetime.”

Quick facts about Hawai‘i's dental health:

• The PEW Center on the States graded Hawai‘i with an F, making it one of the worst overall performers among the 50 states and the district of Columbia for children’s dental health.

• Statistics from Healthy Smiles Hawaii, a local dental health program indicate the rate of tooth decay among children living in Hawai‘i is two times as high as that among children on the continent. Mainland children have an average of two decayed teeth, Hawai‘i children ages five through nine have an average of four decayed teeth.  The situation is even more serious with certain ethnic groups. 

• Factors that impact oral health in Hawai‘i include no fluoridated water (except on military bases), no organized school sealant program in the schools, lack of funding for preventative dental care. 


Failure to provide adequate preventative dental care for adults in Hawai‘i is leading to health problems which are significantly more expensive to treat.


To learn how you can support UH Maui College programs and students, please contact Director of Institutional Advancement for UH Maui College Ray Tsuchiyama at (808) 984-3471 or [email protected]

You can also make a secure gift online at www.uhfoundation.org/GiveToMCC

Students Andrea Hetherington in scrubs and Krystal Hayes acting as the "patient" practice their skills.

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The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawaiʻi System. The mission of the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is to unite donors' passions with the University of Hawaiʻi’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawaiʻi and our future generations www.uhfoundation.org.

University of Hawai‘i Maui College is a learning-centered institution that provides affordable, high quality credit and non-credit educational opportunities to a diverse community of lifelong learners. http://maui.hawaii.edu/

The Maui Oral Health Center is a collaborative project sponsored by the members of the Maui County Dental Health Alliance, University of Hawai‘i  Maui College, the County of Maui, Hui No Ke Ola Pono, and the Maui District Health Office, Department of Health.  The Maui Oral Health Center serves as a classroom and clinical site for Maui College Dental Assisting, Dental Hygiene Programs, the Lutheran Medical Center AGED Dental Residency Program and aims to provide affordable and accessible oral/dental health care to the underserved, low-income, uninsured families of Maui.