• Tooth decay is the most prevalent childhood disease in the United States. It is five times more common than asthma.
• One in three U.S. adults has untreated tooth decay, almost one in two has gingivitis, and more than one in five has gum disease.
• There are 30,000 new cases of oral cancer each year, and it causes more than 8,000 deaths annually.
• The U.S. armed forces spend a disproportionate share of medical resources on treating the dental problems of new recruits.
• New research points to possible associations between oral disease and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and low-birth-weight babies. Many other diseases and conditions have oral warning signs.
• In older people, poor oral health increases general health risks and affect nutrition.
• Minority, low-income, and special-needs populations suffer disproportionately from oral disease.

What dental education can do

Today’s dental education and research institutions strive to meet the oral health care needs of the public by:

• Maintaining professional values, standards, and practices that are sensitive to the needs of all patients
• Recruiting, developing, and retaining qualified faculty
• Managing educational costs and student indebtedness
• Encouraging a diverse dental workforce
• Improving access to and reducing disparities in oral health care

The ADEAGies Foundation contributes to solving oral health care problems by encouraging excellence in dental education, research, and patient care.

About the ADEAGies Foundation

Mission

The mission of the ADEAGies Foundation is to enhance the oral health of the public through programs that support dental education, research, leadership, and recognition.

History

The William J. Gies Foundation was established in 1950 by colleagues and admirers of Dr. Gies and with seed funds raised by the American College of Dentists. It was a private foundation and the first U.S. foundation to support dental education and scholarship. In 2002, it joined with the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) to form ADEAGies Foundation, a public foundation.

On February 1, 2006, ADEA and the ADEAGies Foundation forged a landmark agreement with Oral Health America, the nation’s premier independent advocacy organization dedicated to improving oral health and the public’s awareness of oral health’s importance to total health. The three organizations are collaborating in a new effort to promote leadership in dental, allied dental, and advanced dental education. The ADEAGies Foundation received more than $200,000 from the George H. Whiteley Memorial Foundation, DENTSPLY, Inc., and the estate of Dr. Robert Beauchamp, Jr. to support ADEA’s Leadership Institute for educators and administrators who show promise for leadership.

Governance

Members of the Board of Trustees are nominated by the Nominating Committee and serve two-year terms. For more information regarding the Board of Trustees, please contact the Foundation’s secretary.

Board of Trustees

Dr. Richard W. Valachovic, President
Dr. Ted Pate
Dr. Frank Catalanotto
Dr. Eric Hovland
Dr. John Killip

Honorary
Dr. Allan J. Formicola

Emeritus
Dr. Gordon Rovelstad

Development
Dr. James Mulvihill
117 Kings Highway
Kennebunkport, ME 04046

Secretary of the Corporation
Ms. Abigail Gorman
American Dental Education Association
1400 K Street, NW, Suite 1100
Washington, DC. 20005

Nominating Committee
Please direct correspondence to the Foundation President or Secretary.

Grants Committee
Please direct correspondence to the Foundation President or Secretary.