The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has proposed transitioning the oral health national performance measure (NPM) to a state performance measure (SPM). Oral health has been an NPM since 1997. If oral health is transitioned to an SPM, it will no longer be a national priority, and efforts to promote oral health care at the national, state, and local levels will suffer.

Send your comments by e-mail to paperwork@hrsa.gov or by mail to Health Resources and Services Administration, Information Collection Clearance Officer, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 14N39, Rockville, MD 20857. In your communication, state that you are commenting on “Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant to States Program: Guidance and Forms for the Title V Application/Annual Report, OMB No. 0915–0172—Revision.”

The deadline to submit comments is July 5th.

Click here for more information.

Kids Smiles recently launched the “Kids Smiles Oral Health Toolkit,” a digital resource for children, adults, families, educators, and others to learn about the importance of dental health and how to maintain a healthy smile for life. The toolkit includes videos, animations, infographics, downloadable lesson plans, and more. Resources are also
available in Spanish.

Click here to view the toolkit.

The Oral Health Workforce Research Center (OHWRC) published a new report, “Implications of COVID-19 on Safety-Net Oral Health Services.” The report examines the COVID-19 pandemic impacts on federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and other safety-net dental providers, including those that offer oral health services through mobile and portable programs.

Click here to read the report.

The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) and the American Institute for Dental Public Health (AIDPH) released “A Compendium of Veteran Oral Health Best, Promising, and Emerging Practice Approaches.” This guide describes strategies to engage and serve veterans in the community for oral health care.

Click here to read the document.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) is accepting nominations and applications of dynamic oral health stakeholders to represent one of the nine sectors listed in the Pennsylvania Oral Health Plan 2020-2030 to serve on the Pennsylvania Oral Health Plan Advisory Group (OHPAG).

To nominate a candidate, or yourself, for the OHPAG, please download the application, complete, and send it along with a resume and/or CV to janmille@pa.gov.

The application deadline is June 5th, 2023. Selected members will be notified via email in July 2023. If you or your organization would like to endorse someone, please send an email to include with the person’s nomination. Additional information can be found at the links below.

Click here to download the nomination form.
Click here to download the group guidelines.

CMS updated its Strategic Plan page to include a new Cross Cutting Initiative (CCI): Oral Health.

Through this CCI, CMS will implement policy changes and consider opportunities through existing authorities to expand access to oral health coverage.

CMS updated the Health Equity Pillar fact sheet that details key actions undertaken by CMS Centers and Offices to advance health equity.

Finally, CMS has added a new fact sheet to the strategy page with updates to the Integrating the 3Ms (Medicare, Medicaid and Marketplace) CCI. The fact sheet outlines how CMS has begun to develop approaches to promote alignment and consistency across programs, promoting seamless continuity of care, including experiences with health care providers and health coverage for people served by the 3 Ms.

The PA Coalition for Oral Health (PCOH) is accepting nominations for the 2023 PA Oral Health Champion Awards.

Awardees will be selected by the Board of Directors of PCOH, upon recommendation of the Summit Committee, and are based on notable work on oral health progress in Pennsylvania. Awardees will have the option to accept their awards in-person at the 2023 PA Oral Health Summit on November 17th or virtually at a later date. All nominations must be submitted by July 7th at 5 pm.

Click here for more information.

When was the last time you thanked the water operators in your community for delivering safe water to your home? Tap water is something that many take for granted and we don’t often think of who was involved in making that happen. Regardless of the fluoridation status of your water system, water operators do an essential job of providing you and your family with safe drinking water.

PCOH is encouraging groups to thank water systems for delivering safe drinking water to homes, schools, restaurants, and businesses.

The “Water Operator Thank You Campaign” would be an ideal activity for community groups such as boards, homeowner associations, rotary clubs, church and youth groups, scouts, 4-H chapters, parent-teacher associations, sports teams, health clubs, and recreational leagues. If you are interested in participating, PCOH will provide you with blank thank you notes, envelopes, and a prepaid envelope to return your notes back to us. From there, we will address your note and send it on to your water system. Thank you for taking the time to show your appreciation for our PA water operators!

Click here for more information.
Click here to request thank you campaign materials.