- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- Telehealth Study Recruiting Veterans Now
- USDA Delivers Immediate Relief to Farmers, Ranchers and Rural Communities Impacted by Recent Disasters
- Submit Nominations for Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) Committees
- Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation of the Medicare Program (Executive Order 14192) - Request for Information
- Dr. Mehmet Oz Shares Vision for CMS
- CMS Refocuses on its Core Mission and Preserving the State-Federal Medicaid Partnership
- Social Factors Help Explain Worse Cardiovascular Health among Adults in Rural Vs. Urban Communities
- Reducing Barriers to Participation in Population-Based Total Cost of Care (PB-TCOC) Models and Supporting Primary and Specialty Care Transformation: Request for Input
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- 2025 Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Proposed Rule
- Rural America Faces Growing Shortage of Eye Surgeons
- Comments Requested on Mobile Crisis Team Services: An Implementation Toolkit Draft
- NRHA Continues Partnership to Advance Rural Oral Health
New Report Includes Proposed Solutions to Oral Health Inequities
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.
Challenges Identified in Implementing School-Based Oral Health Programs
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.
Will the Pandemic Change Oral Health Forever?
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.
State of Oral Health Equity in America 2021 – Report #2
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.
Treating Dental Pain with Opioids Triples Patient Overdose Risk
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.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Open Comment Period Announced on Pediatric Dental Caries Prevention
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is seeking public comments on a draft recommendation statement and draft evidence review, “Screening and Interventions to Prevent Dental Caries in Children.” The Task Force recommends primary care clinicians use fluoride varnish and fluoride supplementation in young children to prevent cavities. There is not enough evidence to recommend for or against screening for cavities in primary care. The draft recommendation statement and draft evidence review are available for review and public comment from until June 7.
Pennsylvania Community Water Fluoridation Map Launched
The Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health (PCOH) is excited to share an interactive community water fluoridation map for Pennsylvania. PCOH has been collaborating on this project with the University of Pittsburgh School of Dentistry and the Pittsburgh Collaboratory for Water Research, Education, & Outreach. The story map has three tabs with the first being informational. The second tab allows individuals to search for water system by typing in an address. The third tab is interactive and allows individuals to zoom in and out and to add and remove layers of information such as water system name, fluoridation status, legislative districts, municipal and county boundaries, school districts, and dental health provider shortage areas (DHPSAs). There is also a corresponding brief to go along with the map,
“In the Fight Against Tooth Decay: May the Fluoride Be With You!”
Pennsylvania Statewide Dental Access Coordination Report
The Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health (PCOH) is pleased to announce the March 2021 publication of “Statewide Dental Access Coordination: A Report for Pennsylvania”. With support from a Highmark Foundation planning grant, PCOH set out to learn how Pennsylvanians find dental care, what issues prevent them from finding or scheduling an appointment with a dental provider, and whether it is feasible to identify or create a single, easily accessible resource to connect Pennsylvanians in need of dental care with the providers who want to serve them. The findings are discussed and summarized in the report.
Click here to read the news release.
Click here to read the final report.
APHA Releases Statement on Oral Health Care for Pregnant Women
The American Public Health Association (APHA) released a new policy statement regarding the importance of improving oral health care access for pregnant women. Oral health is integral to overall health and a healthy pregnancy, yet less than half of pregnant women in the United States report receiving routine dental care during pregnancy. Oral diseases during pregnancy can negatively impact birth outcomes and women’s quality of life. The policy statement describes this major public health problem, along with opposing arguments, evidence-based strategies and action steps, at federal, state, and local levels.
National Coalition of Dentists for Health Equity
Dentists are often limited in expressing their views when it comes to issues of equity and workforce improvements. The new National Coalition for Dental Health Equity aims to unite dentists in support of evidence-based, high-quality, and cost-effective oral health services, including disease prevention and treatment and care delivery models. The organization’s purpose is to unite dentists who support evidence-based practices in the U.S. to advance the goal of comprehensive health equity with a specific interest in oral health equity for all.