The new nonprofit organization will be focused on initiatives aimed at raising awareness of the importance of dental cleanings for overall health.
eAssist Dental Solutions, a virtual insurance and patient billing services provider for dental offices, is launching its new Dental Health Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization with the mission to spread awareness of the importance of dental cleanings.
As the company puts it, lack of dental cleanings can lead to oral inflammation, which may increase the risk of of contracting COVID-19 and make it harder to fight off. Moreover, inflammation is a precursor to diseases like diabetes and arthritis, heart and lung disease, dementia and Alzheimers, pancreatic cancer, stroke, and others.
“Over and above serving our clients, all of us at eAssist want to leave a positive, lasting impact on the world,” said Dr James V. Anderson, foundation director and CEO/founder of eAssist Dental Solutions. “Our way of giving back is through the eAssist Dental Health Education Foundation.”
He went on to explain, “We talked about setting up a foundation a few years ago, but weren’t sure what the focus should be. During the industry shutdown, I had an ‘aha’ moment when I was reminded that PATIENTS are at the very top of our organization chart. As servant leaders, we ultimately serve the patients of eAssist clients by collecting as much as possible from insurance companies so the patient doesn’t have to pay, and so the doctors receive all that is rightfully owed to them. Now—through the Foundation—we’re also going to educate patients on the critical importance of having their teeth cleaned on a regular basis to eliminate oral inflammation and prevent myriad health issues exacerbated and even caused by gum disease.”
The foundation’s educational initial initiatives include providing educational videos for dental offices to use, royalty-free, to educate patients on how oral health correlates with their body’s overall health and wellness; sharing scientifically researched articles via the website; and connecting the dental community through peer testimonials, insights and recommendations
“Dentists and hygienists have long known about the connection between oral health and overall wellness, and continually emphasize it to their patients,” said Anderson. “The scientific research is all there, demonstrating the close relationship between poor oral hygiene and a surprising number of serious medical conditions. In this new coronavirus world, we knew this was the perfect time for us to launch our Education Foundation in order to help patients help themselves stay their healthiest.”
