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ANKENY, IA, January 23, 2006--Delta Dental of Iowa has awarded Graduate Thesis Awards to three students at the University of Iowa's College of Dentistry. Dr. Timothy Brister, Dr. Elizabeth Gaskin and Dr. Cecilia Hwang, who are pursuing master's degrees in dental public health in the Department of Community and Preventive Dentistry, are the 2005 recipients of the Delta Dental of Iowa Graduate Thesis Awards.

Dr. Brister is conducting research on the utilization of dental services by group home residents enrolled in Medicaid. A graduate of Baylor College of Dentistry, Dr. Brister previously served as dentist-in-charge for dental health programs in Dallas, TX.

Dr. Gaskin, who practiced dentistry in the U.S. Navy for the past 14 years, will focus her research on the use of minimal intervention dentistry among military and civilian dentists.

Dr. Hwang, who is completing a postgraduate pediatric dentistry residency, will
focus her research on dentists' participation in Iowa's State Children's Health Insurance and Medicaid programs.

The Delta Dental of Iowa Graduate Thesis Award was established in 2004 through the company's Public Benefit Program which assists the oral healthcare needs of underserved Iowans. The thesis awards fund up to $15,000 for costs associated with conducting master's or doctorate thesis research.

Delta Dental of Iowa is the largest and most experienced provider of dental benefits in the state. The Iowa company is a member of the Delta Dental Plans Association, a national organization of not-for-profit Delta Dental member companies. The national association is the largest dental benefits carrier in the nation, providing coverage to more than 45 million people in nearly 76,000 employer groups.