- Senator Baldwin Introduces HSHS Act to Protect Communities from Hospital Closures
- What to Know about Smoke, Heat and Health
- Tribal Partnership With UW-Madison Combines Ag Research With Indigenous Food Knowledge
- The Rewards of Working as Rural Docs
- Request for Information (RFI): Evolving the Network of the National Library of Medicine
- Dental Therapists, Who Can Fill Cavities and Check Teeth, Get the OK in More States
- Colorectal Cancer Is Rising among Younger Adults. Some States Want to Boost Awareness.
- Rural Hospitals Built During Baby Boom Now Face Baby Bust
- Food Stamps Go Further in Rural Areas — Until You Add Transportation Costs
- CMS Announces Resources and Flexibilities to Assist with the Public Health Emergency in the State of Texas
- CMS Proposes New Payments for Digital Health Under CY2025 PFS Draft Rule
- Improving Public Health by Strengthening Community Infrastructure
- Biden Harris Administration Proposes Policies to Reduce Maternal Mortality, Advance Health Equity, and Support Underserved Communities
- Nearly Half of U.S. Counties Don't Have a Single Cardiologist
- Randolph County, Ill. Turns Unused Part of Nursing Home Into State-Of-The-Art Behavioral Health Center
States to Watch Oral Health in 2020: New Hampshire and the Adult Dental Benefit
New Hampshire has passed House Bill 692/HB 4, adding a comprehensive adult dental benefit that will aid nearly 120,000 adult residents covered under both traditional and Medicaid expansion requirements. Open here to read the first in our blog series on States to Watch in 2020.
Healthy Mouths: Why They Matter for Adults and State Budgets
How does your state measure up in providing a comprehensive Medicaid adult dental benefit? Read DentaQuest’s latest brief, Healthy Mouths: Why They Matter for Adults and State Budgets, which explores the ways in which the lack of a comprehensive dental benefit can drain state budgets, and how adding this benefit can improve population and fiscal health.
2020 Will Bring Major Changes to the Oral Health Landscape
There’s a lot on the oral health horizon in 2020. As we start a new year and a new decade, we can expect significant changes that will address the oral health industry’s biggest challenges and fundamentally change the way Americans access oral health care. From the first Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health in 20 years to disruptive technology, here’s what we’re watching.
New Report Explores Preventing Dental Caries in Children
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force posted a final research plan on screening and interventions to prevent dental caries in children younger than 5 years. The draft research plan was posted for public comment in September. The Task Force reviewed all of the comments and took them into consideration. Read more here.
New Oral Health During Pregnancy Resource from OHRC
The Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC) recently released “Promoting Oral Health During Pregnancy: Update on Activities.” This is the seventh in a series of updates to highlight national, state, and local activities focusing on oral health care for pregnant women. The update includes briefs, guides, handouts, reports, toolkits, and trainings for health professionals and consumers. Read more here.
Veteran Affairs Announces Dental Care Proposal
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced it has submitted to Congress a waiver request and pilot program under Section 152 of the VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks Act of 2018 (MISSION Act) to improve access to dental care for veterans. Read more here.
2020’s States with the Best & Worst Dental Health – WalletHub Study
With February being National Children’s Dental Health Month and about 15 percent of children aged 2-17 having not seen a dentist in the past year, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2020’s States with the Best & Worst Dental Health as well as accompanying videos.
In order to determine which places have the healthiest teeth and gums in the U.S., WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 26 key metrics. The data set ranges from share of adolescents who visited a dentist in the past year to dental treatment costs to share of adults with low life satisfaction due to oral condition.
|
States with the Best Dental Health |
States with the Worst Dental Health |
|
| 1. Wisconsin | 42. Florida | |
| 2. Illinois | 43. Kentucky | |
| 3. Minnesota | 44. Alaska | |
| 4. District of Columbia | 45. Texas | |
| 5. Connecticut | 46. Alabama | |
| 6. North Dakota | 47. Louisiana | |
| 7. Michigan | 48. Montana | |
| 8. Massachusetts | 49. West Virginia | |
| 9. Idaho | 50. Arkansas | |
| 10. Iowa | 51. Mississippi |
Best vs. Worst
- Rhode Island has the lowest share of the population who couldn’t afford more dental visits due to costs, 37.00 percent, which is two times lower than in Georgia, the state with the highest at 74.00 percent.
- Utah has the most dentists per 100,000 residents, 55, which is 3.1 times more than in Louisiana, the state with the fewest at 18.
- The District of Columbia has the highest share of the population receiving fluoridated water, 100.00 percent, which 8.8 times higher than in Hawaii, the state with the lowest at 11.30 percent.
- Minnesota, Hawaii and Illinois have the lowest share of adults with poor or fair oral condition, 22.00 percent, which is 1.8 times lower than in Montana, the state with the highest at 40.00 percent.
To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank, please visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-best-worst-dental-health/31498/
New Resources on Fluoride Varnish and Silver Diamine Fluoride
The National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center at Georgetown University recently published “Fluoride Varnish and Silver Diamine Fluoride: A Resource Guide.” The guide provides descriptions of materials on data and surveillance, professional education and training, and public education.
ED Utilization for Non-Traumatic Dental Conditions
The ASTDD Dental Public Health Policy Committee released a new policy statement on “Reducing Emergency Department Utilization for Non-Traumatic Dental Conditions.” Seeking care in emergency departments for non-traumatic dental conditions has increased substantially in recent years. Reported barriers to oral health care include misdistribution of dentists in rural areas and the cost of dental treatment.
Community Health Choices in PA
Community Health Choices (CHC) is now active across the entire state of Pennsylvania effective January 1, 2020. CHC is Pennsylvania’s mandatory managed care program for individuals 21 years or older and have both Medicare and Medicaid or receive long-term services and supports through Medicaid. One of CHC’s goals is to improve coordination between Medicare and Medicaid so participants experience better services and outcomes. Billing will not change for Medicare services, but it may change how service providers bill Medicaid and Medicare for coinsurance and deductibles. Click here for more information.