An article in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) explores the role of pandemics on societal behavior and their impact on oral health care. The analysis explores the past, present, and future of pandemic and what measures the dental community should adopt moving forward. The latest issue also features articles about ultrasonic scaler aerosol and spatter mitigation, the use of teledentistry with older patients, and the promotion of community water fluoridation.
Highchair Dental Care: A Model for Infants and Toddlers
The American Dental Association (ADA) is offering a new interactive continuing education course, “Highchair Dental Care: A Revolutionary Practice Model for Infants and Toddlers.” The course teaches dental professionals an alternate way to provide oral health care for young children by introducing the highchair as a tool to use with children starting at 8 months old. The course is discounted for ADA members and offers 4 CEs.
Veteran Oral Health: Expanding Access and Equity
Gaps in veteran oral health have been long overlooked. Now is the time for change. A forward-thinking white paper from the CareQuest Institute and the American Institute of Dental Public Health (AIDPH), “Veteran Oral Health: Expanding Access and Equity,” focuses on the need to better understand the significant deficits surrounding veteran oral health. The goal of the paper is to catalyze oral health professionals and policymakers toward advancing health equity for veterans. The social, structural, and individual drivers of disparate oral health outcomes experienced by veterans deserve more attention from the oral health community. This paper delineates the struggles veterans face with oral health care every day.
USDA Seeks Applications to Advance Equity and Expand Regional Economies in Distressed Rural Communities
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres Small announced the Department is accepting grant applications that will advance equity in rural America by creating new opportunities in distressed communities.
USDA is offering priority points to projects that advance key priorities under the Biden-Harris Administration to help communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, advance equity and combat climate change. These extra points will increase the likelihood of funding for projects seeking to address these critical challenges in rural America.
The Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) grant program encourages a regional, innovation-driven approach to economic development by funding job accelerator partnerships in low-income rural communities. This includes communities that have been historically underserved, marginalized and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.
RISE provides grants of up to $2 million to consortiums of local governments, investors, industry, institutions of higher education, and other public and private entities in rural areas. The funding may be used to support innovation centers and job accelerator programs that improve the ability of distressed rural communities to create high-wage jobs, form new businesses, and identify and maximize local assets.
USDA encourages applications that serve the smallest communities with the lowest incomes.
The deadline to submit applications is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, April 19, 2022. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov.
Potential applicants may submit a concept proposal for review by the agency to SM.USDA-RD.RISE@usda.gov no later than February 18, 2022.
For additional information, see page 71868 of the Dec. 20, 2021, Federal Register.
Applicants are encouraged to contact their nearest USDA Rural Development State Office ahead of the application deadline for more information about the program or the application process.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page
New Best Practice Approach Report on Teledentistry
A new CareQuest Institute and Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) Best Practice Approach Report encourages state/territorial oral health programs and stakeholders to identify community barriers to care and consider teledentistry as part of the solution. The practical Report includes guidelines and recommendations, best practice criteria, myriad resources, and several examples of teledentistry in use across the country.
Top Five CareQuest Institute Publications from 2021
Based on the collective engagement from the audience of providers, policymakers, advocates, and oral health stakeholders across the industry, below are the top five most popular CareQuest Institute publications.
A Step Toward Improving Oral Health for Our Veterans
A new white paper from CareQuest Institute and the American Institute of Dental Public Health (AIDPH) – Veteran Oral Health: Expanding Access and Equity – focuses on the need to better understand the significant deficits surrounding veteran oral health. The goal of the paper, which includes several strategic recommendations to improve access and quality of care, is to catalyze oral health professionals and policymakers toward advancing health equity for veterans.
Disparities Relating to HIV and PrEP
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released two reports which may be of interest to health center providers:
- HIV and Gay and Bisexual Men: Difference in Knowledge of Status, Prevention, Treatment, and Stigma Exist by Race/Ethnicity: https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/hivgaybimen/
- Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Disparities in Awareness of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Among HIV-Negative Heterosexually Active Adults at Increased Risk for HIV Infection: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7047a3.htm
COVID-19 Effect on Access to Care
The Health Workforce Technical Assistance Center will present a webinar on Thursday, December 16, 2021, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. COVID-19’s Effect on Access to Care for Underserved Populations: An Examination of Telehealth and Provider Attrition, explores the use of telehealth and general access to care for underserved populations both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Register for the webinar: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/7816348436426/WN_3es62LMmS1urd8pUE4jNaQ?utm_campaign=enews20211202&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Doctors Spend More Time Correcting Misinformation
A new survey suggests that more than half of doctors spend time correcting COVID-19 vaccine information from their patients now than six months ago. Among the most common misconceptions: the vaccine modifies your DNA; it causes infertility; it contains a microchip; and it will give you COVID-19. The survey also found that 87% of doctors say that depression and other mental health issues remain the biggest non-COVID-19 related public health concern.