NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 9, 2009 — With his story of overcoming language barriers through a smile, Daniel Chioco won $1,000 for himself and $5,000 for charity in Delta Dental of Tennessee's Share a Smile at Belmont University contest. Chioco, a sophomore at Belmont University and Humboldt, Tenn., resident, beat out five other semi-finalists in the contest, earning more than 13,000 votes for his photo and caption portraying a mission trip to Romania to minister to youths.

Chioco’s entry, submitted on behalf of his fraternity Phi Kappa Tau, was chosen by public voting through Delta Dental's Web site. In addition to a $1,000 cash prize, Chioco will receive teeth whitening services from local dentist, Dr. Brent Songstad of Songstad Cosmetic & Restorative Dentistry. Delta Dental will also contribute $5,000 to Phi Kappa Tau’s charity of choice, Hole in the Wall Camps – an organization that provides children with cancer and other serious illnesses and conditions a camping experience, while extending year-round support to their families and health care providers.

Delta Dental's Share a Smile contest was created to educate college students on the importance of good oral health and its relation to overall health.

"With all the responsibilities college students face every day, many are prone to neglecting their oral health and can develop lifestyle-related diseases as a result," said Dr. Phil Wenk, CEO of Delta Dental of Tennessee. “We designed the Share a Smile contest to get young adults interested in their oral health and educate them on the importance of taking care of their teeth, while also supporting a charity in its oral health initiatives."

Delta Dental invited the members of Belmont’s Greek organizations to enter the Share a Smile contest. Students were asked to upload photos of themselves bringing a smile to someone’s face and attach a caption describing why the people pictured are ‘sharing a smile.’ The judges – Katy Wilson, Belmont University’s Director of Health Services, Dr. Songstad, and Dr. Wenk – narrowed the applicants down to six semi-finalists, one from each participating Greek organization.

“The concept behind the contest was what caught my interest,” said Chioco. “Most contests are individually focused. What I liked about this contest was that it was focused on other people. It wasn’t just about my smile; it was about joy being shared between at least two different people.”

Chioco submitted a photo and caption about his mission trip to Romania with First Baptist Church of Humboldt, Tenn., where he ministered to Romani youth – an experience he describes as “life-changing in so many ways.” His photo depicted him with his ministry team and some Romani youths enjoying a summer day together. Despite the language barrier, he was able to communicate with the youth through his smiles, hence the title of his submission, “A Smile is Universal.”

For more information on Delta Dental’s Share a Smile contest visit the Belmont Share a Smile Facebook page or www.DeltaDentalTn.com/Share-A-Smile/Belmont.asp.    

Delta Dental of Tennessee, with its affiliates in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio and Tennessee, is one of the largest dental plan administrators in the nation. In 2008, the enterprise paid out nearly $2.1 billion for dental care for more than 6.6 million enrollees. Offices are located in Okemos and Farmington Hills, Mich.; Indianapolis and Greenwood, Ind.; Louisville, Ky.; Albuquerque, N.M.; Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio; and Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis, Tenn.