The Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation has awarded more than $1.1 million to 36 organizations as part of a new grant program to promote oral health.

Created by an initial $2.5 million donation from Delta Dental of Virginia, a provider of dental insurance, the grants are intended to aid groups statewide that provide oral health care, education and research.

This year’s awards include $250,000 to the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine  to create an endowment for an oral health curriculum.  The school will receive a total of $1 million over the next four years. The money will be used to incorporate oral health training throughout the school’s classes, as well as to support clinical rotations, service learning projects and research scholarships.

Other regional organizations receiving grants this year include: Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Blue Ridge, the Bradley Free Clinic, CHIP of Roanoke Valley, the Council of Community Services, the Craig County Rural Health Care Corp., Health Focus of Southwest Virginia, the Roanoke Rescue Mission and the Science Museum of Western Virginia.