Trident® and Smiles Across America® Team Up to Help Promote Healthy Mouths for Denver Children

Trident's $1.5 Million Contribution Helps Connect Kids in Need of Dentistry (KIND) to the Smiles Across America® Family

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Jul 28, 2010, 02:12 ET

PARSIPPANY, N.J., July 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease in America(1), yet over eight in ten (84%) American parents don't realize this(2). Smiles Across America® (SAA), an Oral Health America program led in conjunction with Trident® gum, is pleased to welcome Denver-based Kids in Need of Dentistry (KIND) into the SAA network. This effort is part of an ongoing commitment by Oral Health America and Trident to help fight cavities among our nation's youth and together, will work to address the need for school-based and school-lined oral disease prevention services in the Denver area.

With the help of Trident's $1.5 million dollar, three-year commitment to the SAA program, the organization currently supports dental services to over 250,000 children annually in underserved communities nationwide. Today, with the help of Trident's contribution, the program will expand its reach to Denver.

With this support, KIND will increase the number of public schools it reaches in the Denver area by 39%. Community leaders join Trident®, SAA, KIND, and Denver partners to bring attention to the importance of healthy mouths for children living in Denver and nationwide. Trident's financial commitment is critical to Oral Health America's expansion of services to dental programs in need of SAA-funding such as KIND.

"We are very pleased to welcome Kids in Need of Dentistry to our family of care providers," said Beth Truett, president and CEO of Oral Health America. "Through our combined efforts, we can raise public awareness about the importance of healthy mouths for healthy lives, and proactively provide education and services in schools to prevent tooth decay for uninsured and underserved children."

Tooth decay affects nearly 50 percent of second graders and almost 80 percent of 17-year-olds(3). While a new survey by Trident finds that U.S. parents don't necessarily consider tooth decay a chronic childhood disease, they do recognize that if left untreated, it can negatively impact a child's well-being (63%), self-esteem (62%) and even concentration level (30%)(4). Each year, over 51 million school hours are lost as a result of problems related to tooth decay. Trident's contributions help SAA link local governments, businesses and supporters with care providers and schools to help fight untreated oral disease in children and prevent the loss of pivotal hours in the classroom.

"We are so excited to help more than double the number of children who currently receive oral health services and education in schools through SAA's care provider network and announce that the network will now include Denver," said Becky McAninch, Senior Brand Manager, Trident Marketing. "Providing oral health care solutions to our nation's youth has always been a primary goal of Trident and we are pleased to continue funding partnerships like the one with KIND to help shed a light on the importance of pediatric oral health care in underserviced communities."

Consumers can purchase any pack of Trident gum from September 13, 2010 through September 19, 2010 and five cents per pack will be donated to Smiles Across America(5).

Thanks to contributions from supporters like Trident, SAA provides its network with the funding and technical assistance in the areas of communication and coalition building that enables them to reach more underserved and uninsured children and address barriers to care—lack of resources and transportation, low literacy and language diversity. To support the partnership, Walgreens and Plackers dental flossers have generously provided supplies for the Denver program, and Denver-area businesses DNTLworks Equipment Corporation, Crown Seating, LLC, and Confirm Monitoring Systems, Inc. will be supporting the expansion of KIND's programs through generous donations of dental equipment and laboratory services. To learn more about the Trident and Smiles Across America partnership, visit www.TridentCares4Kids.org.

About Trident® Sugar-Free Gum

Trident gum has long been a pioneer in providing oral health benefits to consumers. Trident was the first gum brand of its kind to undergo extensive long-term clinical testing in 1967 with studies showing that people who chewed Trident experienced significantly fewer cavities. Most recently, the brand introduced Trident Xtra Care™ with Recaldent®, a great tasting sugar-free gum that delivers superior strengthening power versus regular sugar-free chewing gum. Today, Trident is the best selling chewing gum and sugar-free gum in the world(6) and a recent study shows that the brand continues to be recommended by four out of five dentists who would recommend sugar-free gum to their patients who chew gum(7).

About Smiles Across America® (SAA)

SAA is a signature program created by Oral Health America, a national non-profit organization dedicated to changing lives by connecting communities with resources to increase access to care, education and advocacy. SAA improves the health of elementary school students by supporting oral disease prevention services in school-based or school-linked settings, and demonstrating to communities that healthy mouths are integral to overall health. For more information, visit http://www.oralhealthamerica.org.

About Kraft Foods

The combination of Kraft Foods and Cadbury creates a global powerhouse in snacks, confectionery and quick meals. With annual revenues of approximately $50 billion, the combined company is the world's second largest food company, making delicious products for billions of consumers in more than 160 countries. The combined company's portfolio includes 11 iconic brands with revenues exceeding $1 billion – Oreo, Nabisco and LU biscuits; Milka and Cadbury chocolates; Trident gum; Jacobs and Maxwell House coffees; Philadelphia cream cheeses; Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings; and Oscar Mayer meats. Another 70+ brands generate annual revenues of more than $100 million. Kraft Foods (www.kraftfoodscompany.com; NYSE: KFT) is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor's 500, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index.