The Journal Record has selected Delta Dental of Oklahoma (DDOK) and its Foundation as honorees for its 2024 Beacon Awards. The awards are divided into three (3) categories, with DDOK nominated for Philanthropic Impact. Businesses recognized in this category have made significant charitable contribution to a group or individual in need within the community.

This year’s Beacon Award honor adds to the organization’s distinction for excellence, innovation and community-driven work. The Delta Dental of Oklahoma Foundation seeks to improve the oral health of all Oklahomans by increasing access to dental care, funding oral health education, and supporting organizations that serve vital oral health needs in our communities.

Our DDOK Foundation educates thousands of elementary age school children each year about good oral hygiene and dental disease prevention through our Captain Supertooth and MouthScience programs and guards the grins of youth athletes through the Mouthguard program. Additionally, our school-based Cavity Prevention Clinics provide free dental sealants to second and sixth grade students.

DDOK Foundation also awards scholarships to dental and dental hygiene students who intend to practice in Oklahoma upon graduation, increasing the number of dental professionals in our state, and established undergraduate scholarship endowments at all state universities with pre-dental programs to encourage the pursuit of dentistry-related careers.

Through philanthropic and dental care programs/organizations, DDOKF contributed more than $38 million to produce and support public oral health initiatives across the state over the past 26 years. The latest Impact Report details the Foundation’s involvement and imprint in our state in 2023.

Delta Dental of Oklahoma has repeatedly earned recognition from The Journal Record and their Beacon Awards program. In 2010 and 2017, DDOK won the prestigious Beacon Award for Philanthropic Impact. The organization was also a winner for the award in 2016 in the category of Charitable Influence. DDOK was named a finalist of Philanthropic Impact in 2016 and 2020.

Read more about The Journal Record’s Beacon Award announcement and ceremony recap here.