CHICAGO -- There's still time to enter to win Reliance Dental's Bright Smile Scholarship, but students will have to act fast as the deadline is July 15th.

Reliance Dental, manufacturer of dental acrylics and other supplies for over a century, introduced the Bright Smile Scholarship program earlier this year to help promote better oral health habits among college age people. The program will award $2,500 to help with college, grad school or dental hygienist education costs to a student who practices and helps promote good oral health habits.

Recent research shows only a little over 50 percent of Millennials make regular visits to the dentist, the lowest percentage of any age group. They are away from home, busy with college and adjusting to a new lifestyle, and going to the dentist becomes a low priority. The result is an upturn in Millennials who need major dental work because they have failed to see a dentist for several years.

Bright Smile Scholarship applicants must get sign off as practicing good oral health habits by a licensed dental office. "We're hoping driving students to a dental office to get sign off for their scholarship application will encourage them to do more, like getting an annual check up," said Tom Rissman, CEO of Reliance Dental. "Any increase in oral care for this group is a plus."

In addition, applicants are required to submit a poster or social media design promoting the benefits of good dental habits. This will get Millennials thinking about their own dental care, and judging of these designs will be a key factor in who ultimately receives the scholarship.

The idea for the scholarship came from Reliance's marketing agency TBI. TBI president Tom Baer says, "We did our research, and as far as we can tell, no one has ever used a scholarship as an incentive to encourage better oral care. This program will help both dentists and patients."

Applications for the scholarship can be made at scholarship.reliancedental.net through July 15, 2017. The scholarship will be awarded in early August.

The program is open to any student, 17 or older who has been accepted to a 2 or 4-year institution of higher learning in the 50 United States or District of Columbia. 

More information, including complete rules can be found at scholarship.reliancedental.net.

SOURCE Reliance Dental Manufacturing, LLC

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