November 10, 2008--Albuquerque, N.M.-- “BRIGHTER SMILES FOR NEW MEXICO” CAMPAIGN IS THE FOCUS OF ASSOCIATION’S NEW WEB SITE AND EFFORTS IN ITS 100TH YEAR-- The New Mexico Dental Association (NMDA) has redesigned its official Web site, www.nmdental.org, to better communicate its services and legislative efforts to both its members and the public. The impetus for revamping the NMDA Web site was to provide information on “Brighter Smiles for New Mexico,” the association’s current statewide initiative to improve dental care access. “New Mexico dentists are dedicated health care professionals who always try to be as accessible as possible,” said Mark Moores, executive director of NMDA. “This site will be a great new dental tool for our membership and the communities we serve.” The focus of the “Brighter Smiles for New Mexico” campaign is a five-point legislative package that the NMDA is urging the Legislature to consider in the 2009 sixty-day session that will help create successful dental health programs for all New Mexicans. The five-point legislative package includes the following: 1. Recommended visits to the dentist for every child before they start school to promote the importance of committing to proper dental health care at an early age. 2. A patient bill of rights that includes simplifying dental insurance benefits for all New Mexicans. 3. An increase in dental Medicaid reimbursements and reduction in administrative barriers, resulting in better dental health care and increased access to oral health care for the poor. 4. Expanded funding for dental education programs to increase educational opportunities for New Mexico students interested in dentistry with the goal of having the graduates practice in the state. 5. Removal of state’s gross receipts tax on dental/medical services to increase access to affordable dental/medical care and eliminate barriers to quality care for the underprivileged. Another useful new feature of www.nmdental.org is having links to a member dentist’s own practice or office Web site. The links are available when the public searches for a dentist with the “Find A Dentist” function located on the home page. Also, as most New Mexico dentists strive to “go green” in both their work and home lives, NMDA hopes the site will help to alleviate the need for as many paper mailings as an association with over 600 members may need to stay in touch. For 100 years, New Mexico dentists have joined together to network, discuss new procedures and practices, and to educate the public about the importance of dental health as part of the association. “Now more and more dentists are using the Internet to communicate with other dental professionals as well as with the families currently under their care,” said Dr. Robert Wartell of Santa Fe, chair of the NMDA’s Internet Committee, the site’s managing body. “www.nmdental.org will allow us to better reach each other, and our current or prospective patients.” About the New Mexico Dental Association Three out of four dentists in New Mexico belong to the NMDA, a comprehensive voice of dental health care in New Mexico and the premiere dental association in the state. Formed in 1908, four years before New Mexico’s official statehood, the NMDA is one of the oldest professional organizations in the southwest. The NMDA’s purpose is to promote oral and general health care in New Mexico, advance the art and science of dentistry, represent interests of members of the dental profession and foster an awareness of the obligation and responsibility of the dental profession to society. For more information, visit www.nmdental.org.