Tackling health inequities is a huge challenge, but there are ways we can champion progress and work toward solutions. These solutions include sustained, enhanced use of teledentistry, minimally invasive dentistry, interprofessional collaborative practice, workforce expansion, value-based care, and enhanced public insurance programs. CareQuest Institute experts partnered with industry leaders on a chapter in the new report from by Harvard Medical School’s Center for Primary Care.

Click here to access the report.

School-based oral health programs are an essential access point for children to receive preventive oral health services, but the pandemic has disrupted K-12 learning. A survey of state and territorial dental directors reveals that while there are slight improvements seen for planned oral health programs in spring 2021, there may be an increase in children’s oral diseases — especially among racial/ethnic minority groups — in the coming years.

The report can be accessed here.

The numbers are staggering.  The — State of Oral Health Equity in America 2021 — revealed that 6 million adults had lost their dental insurance because of the pandemic, and more than 1 in 10 had delayed getting care because of cost, lack of insurance, fear of exposure to the virus, or a combination of those factors.

An article highlighting that research and discussing whether the pandemic will change oral health forever appeared in The New York Times Magazine on Wednesday. Can the rise of teledentistry and other innovations help fix some of the disparities in care?

Click here to access the article.

CareQuest Institute for Oral Health has released their second report that found over half of respondents (57%) in a recent oral health equity survey are willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and 60 percent of those individuals are willing to get the vaccine from a dentist. There has been a lot of discussion on dentists delivering COVID-19 vaccine, so therefore it matters – dentists are uniquely qualified healthcare providers who are extensively trained to perform complex injections. Some other interesting points:

• Respondents reported they did not have a physical examination in the past two years, but 12% had seen the dentist.
• Vulnerable and underserved populations, such as those with lower income (less than $30,000 [47%]) and education (less than high school [43%]), Hispanics [50%] and Blacks [42%], and those living in rural areas [49%] report lower rates of vaccine willingness.
• Dentists can reach patients who are not otherwise receiving the vaccine from a regular medical care provider.

If you would like to read more on dentist’s participation in America’s mass COVID-19 vaccination efforts, click here.

A recent research study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that overdose risk is nearly three times higher for patients who fill opioid prescriptions after undergoing dental procedures. Also, the risk of overdosing may double for family members of those dental patients. According to the researchers, these findings strengthen the case that opioids should not be prescribed for most dental pain.