DELTA DENTAL AWARDS $121,540 TO HELP IMPROVE ORAL HEALTH AMONG SOUTH CAROLINIANS
Thousands to Receive Vital Dental Care Through Funded Organizations
COLUMBIA, S.C. (Nov. 21, 2025) … Delta Dental of South Carolina — a non-profit organization and leading dental benefits provider and oral health philanthropist — has awarded a total of $121,540 in oral health grants to four organizations aligned with its mission to improve oral health. The funding will help further oral health initiatives, educational programs and charitable causes that address disparities and expand access to care for thousands of children and adults across South Carolina.
Among those funded was the South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium (AHEC) in Charleston, which received $50,000 to support the organization’s Rural Dentist Loan Repayment Program. This program improves access to care for rural and underserved South Carolinians by providing loan repayment to dentists serving in Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas statewide. This most recent grant is part of ongoing funding from Delta Dental of South Carolina, which has supported loan repayment for 22 dentists in the program through June 2025.
Kristin Cochran, MHA, Director of Recruitment & Retention Programs for South Carolina AHEC, commented on the impact of this funding. “We are grateful for the continued partnership and collaboration with Delta Dental of South Carolina and the funding we have received over the last seven years to support the South Carolina Rural Dentist Loan Repayment Program,” said Cochran. “This grant funding enables us to support more community dentists to practice in rural and medically underserved communities across the state. This program, and the support from Delta Dental of South Carolina, is vital to improving access to oral health care in our communities that need it the most.”
Delta Dental of South Carolina also awarded oral health grant funding to the following organizations:
• Classy Smiles DBA: SC Smiles Dental (Myrtle Beach) received $25,000 to help support dental provider salaries for its school-based dental care program for underserved children.
• Healthy Learners (Columbia) received $25,000 to support its high-impact continuum of care dental program for uninsured and underserved children.
• East Cooper Community Outreach (Mount Pleasant) received $21,540 to help purchase digital sensors and supplies for its free dental clinic for uninsured, low-income adults.
“We are thrilled to partner with each of these organizations to help eliminate the harsh realities of oral health disparities in our state,” stated Stacy Harris, community impact program manager at Delta Dental of South Carolina. “Supporting this type of life-changing work furthers our mission to help people of all ages live better lives through improved dental health.”
Delta Dental of South Carolina awards grants annually for general operations, programs, projects and capacity-building efforts promoting the oral health of individuals in South Carolina. Objectives of its grant program include:
• Reducing oral disease through education, prevention and treatment
• Ensuring access to affordable, timely and high-quality dental care
• Enhancing the awareness of good oral health with a focus on children and individuals in need
• Making a measurable difference in the oral health of Missourians
• Helping to ensure that Missouri is among the states with the highest indicators of oral health.
To learn more, visit https://www.deltadentalsc.com/AboutUs/oral-health-grant-program.
About Delta Dental of South Carolina
Delta Dental of South Carolina is a trade name of Delta Dental of Missouri, a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization, leading dental benefits provider and oral health philanthropist, which operates in South Carolina under that name. It provides more than 411,000 members in South Carolina with access to affordable, high-quality dental care through group plans tailored to meet the needs of organizations of all sizes, from large corporations to small businesses with two or more employees. Delta Dental also offers dental benefit plans directly to individuals and families. It also provides access to affordable, high-quality vision care through group vision benefit plans. The company proudly supports oral health initiatives, educational programs and charitable causes that help educate people about the importance of dental health and provide free dental care to those in need. It also created the South Carolina Dental Care Resource Guide to help individuals access information about low-cost and free dental care options in their area—available online at www.DeltaDentalSC.com/ResourceGuide. To learn more about the company, visit www.DeltaDentalSC.com.