Rural Health Information Hub Latest News

75th Anniversary of Community Water Fluoridation

January 25, 2020 is the 75th anniversary of community water fluoridation, a practice that helps significantly improve oral health. Join Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health and other organizations in celebrating this important public health achievement by spreading the word on Facebook and Twitter. The American Fluoridation Society created free graphics to use to promote the anniversary on social media. There will be a “Twitter Storm” on Friday, January 24 from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. to celebrate the anniversary. During this time, fill Twitter with community water fluoridation anniversary posts. Be sure to use #fluoride4health75 in all posts!

Click here to download the graphics.

Report Assesses Children’s Drink Choices

A new report from the University of Connecticut’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity assesses the sales, nutrition, and marketing of children’s drinks. Their findings show that sweetened drinks with added sugars and often low-calorie sweeteners continue to dominate sales and advertising of drinks marketed for children’s consumption. Overconsumption of these drinks can have adverse effects on children’s oral and overall health.

Click here to view the report.

ADA Guideline Advises Against Antibiotics for Dental Pain

A new ADA guideline indicates that “antibiotics are not needed to manage most dental pain and intraoral swelling associated with pulpal and periapical infections.” The guideline advises against using antibiotics for most pulpal and periapical conditions and instead recommends only the use of dental treatment and, if needed, over-the-counter pain relievers. This guideline is part of larger efforts across the globe to prevent antibiotics from becoming ineffective in treating bacterial infections.  Click here for more information.

Oral Health Advocates Flood Capitol Hill

On October 24, 2019, members of the Oral Health Progress and Equity Network (OPEN) from across the nation met with Congressional offices to talk about the importance of oral health. Advocates presented each office they met with three policy asks to improve oral health outcomes; include oral health coverage under Medicare Part B, include oral health as a mandatory component of pregnancy-related benefits in Medicaid, and increase funding for the CDC Division of Oral Health to support an oral health program in every state.

New Online Resource Addresses Oral Health Needs

The American Academy of Pediatrics has published the “Oral Health Prevention Primer,” an online resource for pediatricians and providers who want to do more to address the oral health needs of children. The resource will help providers working with children understand the roles of various oral health allies, how they can collaborate, ways to provide oral health services, and how to advocate to achieve optimal oral health for their community with the goal of preventing dental disease before it starts.

Click here to view the resource.

World Cavity-Free Day 2019

World Cavity-Free Day is October 14, 2019. This initiative was launched by the Alliance for a Cavity-Free Future in 2016. Use the 2019 resource pack to find family resources, professional resources, posters, images, infographics, a toolkit, and background information to promote World Cavity-Free Day in your area.   Click here to view the resource pack.

A New Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health Commissioned

VADM Jerome Adams has commissioned a Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health.  The Report is on track to be released in 2020 and will include the input of hundreds of experts and numerous organizations.  The newly commissioned report will describe key issues that currently affect oral health, and identify challenges and opportunities that have emerged since publication of the first report in 2000.

Study Ties Poor Oral Health in Kids to Adult Heart Disease Risk

Reuters Health reports on a new study that finds children who develop cavities and gum disease may be more likely to develop risk factors for heart attacks and strokes decades later than kids who have good oral health. Kids who had even one sign of poor oral health were 87% more likely to develop subclinical atherosclerosis; children with four signs of poor oral health were 95% more likely to develop this type of artery damage. Periodontal disease in adults has long been linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease.