Oral Health Foundation launches

I am delighted to report that, after a period of thoughtful gestation, the Oral Health Foundation was launched on September 4th this year.

Previously, there were two Foundations associated with the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Sydney, the Dental Health Education and Research Foundation and the Faculty of Dentistry Foundation. These were amalgamated into one Foundation with the broad purpose of promoting stronger ties between the Faculty, the profession, and the community.

The aims of the Oral Health Foundation are to:

• To support education and research activities at the Faculty of Dentistry;
• To unite Faculty alumni and the general community in the support of the Faculty; and
• To promote the advancement of the oral health of the community.

To bring the faculty and the profession closer together in a mutual understanding of, and empathy for, the common goal of continuing improvement to dentistry in NSW.

Members of the dental profession and the dental industry should know and feel confident that their previous, much appreciated contributions to either the Dental Health Education and Research Foundation or the Faculty of Dentistry Foundation are preserved, invested, and providing a financial return to the new Foundation. Apart from individual donations and bequests, there is a substantial corpus in the form of a Trust Fund provided through the Dental Board of NSW and the bequest of the late Thomas Rowland Corbett. The ADA (NSW Branch) provides a significant annual contribution. These financial reserves are consolidated, safeguarded and secure.

The Oral Health Foundation Council advises that all rights and privileges pertaining to members of the previous two Foundations will be preserved in the new Foundation.

The first activity to be supported by the Oral Health Foundation is a research project exploring the question, "What general practice strategies best demonstrate the maxim that prevention is better than cure?" Led by Associate Professor Wendell Evans, Head of Community Oral Health and Epidemiology, this project will also involve a number of dental practitioners in private practice from across NSW. The purpose of this research is to investigate how the dental profession can meet the changing oral health needs of an increasingly dentate and increasingly older population. The accompanying challenge is to deliver high quality and affordable care that reflects an understanding of the oral disease risks and trends. The first stage of the research is expected to run for a period of three years and has received the "in principle" support of the ADA (NSW Branch).

With more funds at its disposal the Faculty could:

• Offer improved teaching approaches and facilities to students including those seeking a higher degree or continuing education; and
• Direct its considerable expertise to further research projects and so maintain its place in the highly competitive research world.

Create scholarship opportunities for higher degree students and support research projects.

The Foundation looks forward to working with the dental profession, industry and community at large in support of the advancement of dentistry.