STEVENS POINT -- Delta Dental of Wisconsin, a Stevens Point-based dental benefits provider, is donating $240,000 a year for the next two years to a statewide program aimed at preventative dental care for children.

That money is being matched with $275,000 a year in federal grants Seal-A-Smile is receiving the next three years to total more than $1.3 million for the program.

The money will be distributed to community-based programs around the state that provide dental sealants to children, many of whom can't afford simple dental care. Sealants are thin coatings hardened to teeth that keep decay-causing germs and food out of grooves on the back of teeth. Decay is the top chronic disease in children.

"This is somewhere where we can work together to make sure we're reaching more kids," said state Sen. Julie Lassa, D-Stevens Point, who helped put a provision in the state budget that called for matching funds for the Delta Dental donation. "If you can spare people the agony of getting a tooth drilled, it's worth it."

A few years ago, Delta Dental approached Lassa about making a large donation to the program, with the requirement that the state provide matching funds. Lassa then worked with her colleagues in the Senate and Assembly to find money. Eventually the state was able to apply for and win the grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, which Delta accepted as the match.

"Delta Dental has a long history and record of supporting initiatives that support oral health," said company spokesman Bob Walker.

The money for Seal-A-Smile will be administered to community programs by the Children's Health Alliance. Funds will be awarded to those that target children at the highest risk for tooth decay. Programs already have turned in their requests, and the money will be available in early 2010.