- RPHARM Program Fulfills Need for Rural Pharmacists
- Farmers Don't Do Mental Health
- A Pilot Program in Rural Vermont Hopes to Build a Blueprint for Substance Abuse Recovery
- Rural Telehealth Extension Reintroduced in Congress
- Students From Across the State Emphasized the Need for Mental Health Resources in Rural Alaska During a Conference
- The South Was the Center of Rural Population Growth Last Year
- How HHS SUD Confidentiality Regulations Will Impact Rural Providers
- VA Announces Expansion of "Close to Me" Cancer Program as Part of the Cancer Moonshot, Bringing Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Closer to Thousands of Veterans
- Navajo Psychiatrist Bridges Gaps Between Native American Culture and Behavioral Health Care
- Biden-Harris Administration Releases National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and First-Ever Federal Action Plan
- Biden-Harris Administration Takes Historic Action to Increase Access to Quality Care, and Support to Families and Care Workers
- Rural Communities Face Primary Care Physician Shortage
- Rural Jails Turn to Community Health Workers To Help the Newly Released Succeed
- Biden Administration Sets Higher Staffing Mandates. Most Nursing Homes Don't Meet Them.
- Miles for Milk: How Student-Run Grocery Store Reshaped Rural Community's Food Access
Teledentistry User’s Guide
The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) has worked with health centers since the spring of 2020 to develop and test a variety of strategies to deliver dental services via synchronous teledentistry. Their new User’s Guide gives an overview of teledentistry, describes its use in health center dental programs, and includes practical tools for implementing teledentistry. NNOHA is a HRSA-funded National Training and Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP).
CMS Announces First-Ever Chief Dental Officer
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced Dr. Natalia Chalmers as its first-ever Chief Dental Officer in the Office of the Administrator. In her role as CMS’s chief dental officer, Dr. Chalmers will advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to care for the whole person, a key to reducing health disparities and advancing health equity.
Report: Provider and Public Perceptions of Silver Diamine Fluoride
Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is highly effective in arresting the progression of active caries as well as preventing new lesions. It has been commonly used as a treatment for children, and many parents appreciate its ease of use. But SDF has downsides: it leaves a black stain on these lesions and may burn or stain the soft tissue surrounding them. How, then, do dental providers and patients view the treatment? A new visual report from CareQuest Institute for Oral Health offers details on their attitudes.
Rebuilding Children’s Oral Health Care
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) released a new legislative brief, “Rebuilding Children’s Oral Health Care.” It primarily covers state legislative action on children’s oral health over the last year. There is also background information on how COVID-19 has affected access to children’s oral health services.
ED Visits Involving Dental Conditions
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) published a new statistical brief, “Emergency Department (ED) Visits Involving Dental Conditions, 2018.” This brief updates a similar report from 2009 and provides valuable information about dental-related ED visits. The brief reports that in 2018, there were more than 2 million dental-related emergency department (ED) visits, which represented 615.5 visits per 100,000 population. It is important to note that Pennsylvania is not one of the 40 states that participates in this database.
Oral Symptoms During COVID-19
More than 40 percent of patients with COVID-19 experienced dry mouth, according to a review published in the Journal of Dental Research that looked at the prevalence of oral symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Taste disorders and oral lesions were also common in infected patients.
Addressing Rates of HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal Cancer
The Oral Health Nursing Education and Practice Initiative (OHNEP) recently published “Making the Case for Interprofessional Education and Practice Collaboration to Address Rising Rates of Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-Associated Oropharyngeal Cancers” in the American Dental Education Association’s Journal of Dental Education. The article describes the current state of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancers in the United States and underscores the need for interprofessional management of patients. The article further emphasizes the importance of the HPV vaccine as the only proven HPV-associated cancer prevention method with the greatest potential to reduce HPV-associated cancers.
Youth Tobacco Cessation Clinician Resource Released
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a new resource, “Youth Tobacco Cessation: Considerations for Clinicians.” This resource is designed to support pediatricians and other pediatric health clinicians in screening patients for tobacco and nicotine use and providing behavioral and pharmacological support to help youth quit.
Request Free Oral Health Materials from PCOH
The PA Coalition for Oral Health (PCOH) is launching our new online resource page for stakeholders. Oral health materials are available as pdf downloads and printed copies at no cost. Materials include oral health flyers, posters, and magnets covering the topics of general oral health, kids’ oral health, tobacco and nicotine, workforce, and fluoride.
World Health Organization Releases Global Strategy on Oral Health
The World Health Organization (WHO) released their “Global Strategy on Oral Health.” The Chief Dental Officer of the U.S. Public Health Service is requesting comments on the document/strategy by September 10, 2021 via email. A compilation of comments will then be send to the WHO through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Global Affairs.
Click here to read the document.
Click here to submit comments.