Oral Health Resource Center Update: April 2024

April 25, 2024

New from OHRC


The following news and resources are featured by the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC).

High-Quality, Current, Oral Health Resources at Your Fingertips

 

Promoting Oral Health Literacy Resource Guide

 

Promoting Oral Health Literacy: A Resource Guide features materials on policy; professional education, tools, and training; program development; and public education. Examples of materials include a report offering guiding principles that can help Head Start staff promote health literacy, a paper discussing strategies for integrating oral health care and primary care for populations with low health literacy, and a guide describing a program that encourages parents to have a nighttime routine that includes brushing their young child’s teeth and reading them a book before bed. A list of relevant organizations is included.

 

 

Oral Health Resource Bulletin Volume 51

 

Oral Health Resource Bulletin: Volume 51 features materials on data and surveillance; policy; professional education, tools, and training; program development; and public education. Examples of materials include a fact sheet providing information on the oral health of Medicaid and Children’s Oral Health Program (CHIP) beneficiaries, a brief about minimally invasive oral health care, and a snapshot offering information on how states can increase access to oral health care by supporting and expanding their oral health workforce.

These resources were produced with funding from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), Health Resources and Services Administration.

 

Oral Health Care During Pregnancy

Webinar Tonight! Exploring the Myths and Misconceptions about Oral Health and Pregnancy
CareQuest Institute for Oral Health and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for a webinar at 7:30 pm ET on Thursday, April 25 featuring dental and prenatal care providers that will explore the oral health-obstetrics connection and provide up-to-date information for treating patients who are pregnant. The panel will discuss the bidirectional relationship between oral health and perinatal outcomes, the impact of the oral microbiome on the fetal microbiome, and the Food and Drug Administration's amalgam update. Register and find past webinar recordings on CareQuest's website.
Obstetric Risk Management for Oral Health Professionals
This 90-minute webinar on May 1 presented by the National Network for Oral Health Access provides an overview of the new Federal Tort Claims Act annual obstetric risk management training requirement for health centers and the importance of oral health care during pregnancy. Practice guidance for oral health professionals on providing oral health care during pregnancy and pharmacological considerations for pregnant women will be described. The benefits of collaborating with obstetric professionals and delivering integrated care will be shared. OHRC's Katy Battani will present along with Anastasia Coutinho of the California Department of Health Care Services. A recording will be made available on NNOHA's training platform following the event. Register.

 

National Consensus Statement

 

National Consensus Statement

OHRC's Oral Health Care During Pregnancy: A National Consensus Statement resulted from an expert workgroup meeting convened by the Health Resources and Services Administration in collaboration with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Dental Association, and the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center and held on October 18, 2011, in Washington, DC.

The consensus statement provides guidance on oral health care for pregnant women for both prenatal care health professionals and oral health professionals, pharmacological considerations for pregnant women, and guidance for health professionals to share with pregnant women.

 

 

Tips for Good Oral Health During Pregnancy

 

 

Healthy Habits for Happy Smiles

 

 

Head Start Highlight

 

 

Healthy Habits for Happy Smiles


This series of handouts for pregnant women and parents of infants and young children provides simple tips on oral health issues to help families to promote good oral health. Each of the twenty titles are just one page, front and back, and available in English and Spanish. 

In the News

 

KFF Health News Highlights Oral Health Integration

A Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) Health News item, Doctors Take On Dental Duties to Reach Low-Income and Uninsured Patients explores the "trend across the United States to integrate oral health into medical checkups for children, pregnant women, and others who cannot afford or do not have easy access to dentists." Featured among others interviewed for the article are Patricia Braun, a pediatrician and project director of the Rocky Mountain Network of Oral Health in the Networks for Oral Health Integration Within the Maternal and Child Health Safety Net and Katy Battani, a registered dental hygienist and project manager for OHRC's Integrating Oral Health Care and Primary Care Learning Collaborative: A State and Local Partnership. These projects are funded by MCHB.
 

NIDCR-funded School Sealant Program Study

Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University and Kennesaw State University are conducting a study to understand the delivery of dental sealants in school settings. The study, funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, aims to examine the reach of school sealant programs and identify strategies to increase the implementation of school sealant programs for children and adolescents. Under this study, individuals who manage or coordinate a local school sealant program that is affiliated with or supported by the state oral health program are invited to take part in a program-level survey. If interested, please fill out the contact form to receive survey details. 
 

Oral Health Quality Measure Report Review Opportunities

Each year, the child and adult core sets for the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) quality measurement program—key indicators of the quality of health care that Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries receive—undergo a review. This year's report, Recommendations for Improving the Core Sets of Health Care Quality Measures for Medicaid and CHIP: Summary of a Workgroup Review of the 2026 Child and Adult Core Sets, has been released for public comment. The 2026 Child and Adult Core Sets Annual Review Workgroup was charged with reviewing the measures included in the child and adult core sets, identifying gap areas, and recommending changes to improve the 2026 core sets. Public comments may be submitted via e-mail by 8 pm ET on May 3, 2024. 

The Dental Quality Alliance (DQA) requests review of its interim report on its Early Childhood Dental Oral Evaluation Following Medical Preventive Service Visit measure testing project. This report serves to update all interested parties on the measure specifications and to highlight key findings and decisions to date, as well as provide an overview of the testing process. Comments may be submitted via e-mail by May 15, 2024.
 

Santa Fe Group Policy Center

The Santa Fe Group has been awarded a grant from the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health to establish the Coalition for Oral Health Policy. The group will identify key oral health issues, prepare policy statements, and develop advocacy strategies to inform others about how to improve access to oral health care services. It will seek input from professionals, consumer groups, insurance companies, and policy experts to improve oral health equity and health care access across the United States through policy reform.
 

Two Reports Explore Patient Experience

CareQuest Institute for Oral Health's annual state of oral health equity in America survey provides an in-depth look at how a sample of adults in the US experience oral health care. This year's report, Experiences with and Outcomes of Oral Health Care: Perspectives from Nationally Representative Data, focuses on patient experiences with value-based care, medical-dental integration, minimally invasive care, teledentistry, and discrimination in the dental setting. See also the survey reports from 2023 and 2022.

Community Catalyst held a series of community listening sessions in three states for discussion around three overarching topics. The report, Community Perspectives on Access, Quality, and Invasiveness of Dental Care, includes an overview of the methodology of these listening sessions, descriptions of key themes that arose, and recommendations for policy solutions to address the barriers identified by community members.

Oral Health Learning Café


Join us at the café! 

OHRC's Oral Health Learning Café is an informal, supportive space for professionals to engage with others about integrating oral health and primary care. Coming up on May 9, two members of the American Academy of Pediatrics silver diamine fluoride work group will discuss their work. Visit our website for the archive and to subscribe to the discussion list to receive announcements about upcoming webinars and the monthly Integration Alert.
URL: 
https://mailchi.mp/cbba09c4f1ba/april-10642729?e=3e690f54a0