Ann Arbor, MI — December 16, 2009 — Dr. Marita Inglehart, an associate professor in the U-M School of Dentistry’s Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, recently received an award for her creative approach to dental education.

Earlier this month, Inglehart was presented with the Harold Slavkin Oral Health Science Education Award for developing a Web site that helps kindergarten and elementary school teachers educate their students about ways to prevent common dental problems and achieve better oral health. She received the award from Friends of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, a nonprofit organization.

Inglehart, a psychologist, led a team of researchers and clinicians who developed the Teaching Kids Healthy Smiles Web site (www.dent.umich.edu/teachoralhealth) following an extensive two-year investigation of oral health issues affecting more than 8,000 students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds at 35 kindergarten and elementary schools in the Flint, Michigan area. The Web site is organized into groups of lesson plans and activities, such as class demonstrations, word puzzles, coloring pages, and games. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research funded the study.

Dr. Laurie McCauley, chair of the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, said the work of Inglehart and her colleagues “is an exciting approach toward establishing better oral health in children. By working with teachers, parents, and children, she first identified barriers and then used that information to develop resources that would allow teachers and parents to engage and inform their students about oral health.” McCauley added that Inglehart’s “keen recognition of the issues, coupled with her vision and drive toward improving the quality of oral health, resulted in a product that has been highly recognized and appreciated in the community.”

Contact: Sharon Grayden, Communications Director (734) 615-2600, dentistry.communications@umich.edu, or Jerry Mastey, Editor, School of Dentistry (734) 615-1971, jmastey@umich.edu.