The most common, yet preventable, disease is tooth decay (cavities). Cavities cause children to miss over 50 million hours of school per year nationally. Statistics show tooth decay in children and adolescents is twice as high for underserved families than those from higher incomes due to the lack of education about the importance of oral hygiene. Greenlee County has the lowest percentage of children who have had a dental check-up in the last year. Tooth B.U.D.D.S. (Bringing Understanding of Dental Disease to Schools) was founded by a local dental hygienist, MiQuel McRae, to combat these issues and ensure children in the rural counties of Southern Arizona may receive professional dental cleanings, free of charge in their school setting.
“The generosity of this community and local donors such as United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties, Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation and the Arizona Community Foundation has allowed us to bring our vision of in-school mobile oral health and education to life.” Furthermore, children in pain will turn to drugs to alleviate that pain. Thus, Tooth B.U.D.D.S. mission is to ensure that no child turns to drugs because of a toothache. “Cavities happen! But if we can identify them and alert parents before they cause pain and infection, then we have made a difference in a child’s life,” (MiQuel McRae). Tooth BUDDS is a member of the Graham Greenlee Tax Credit Coalition. The GGTCC promotes a dollar-for-dollar Arizona Income Tax Credit. You can receive this tax credit to offset your AZ income tax liability by donating to a qualified local nonprofit and our locals schools. To learn more about this opportunity, visit the website at www.ggtcc.org. The GGTCC is administered by the Arizona Community Foundation of the Gila Valley and can be reached at grahamgreenleetcc@gmail.com
