Oral Health Resource Center Update: February 2024

February 27, 2024

New from OHRC

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

 

Two Great Resources That Work Great Together:

Dental Sealant Resources Updated
Seal America: The Prevention Invention
School-Based Dental Sealant Program Training
Two longtime favorites have been updated, optimized to complement each other, and combined under the Seal America banner.
  • Seal America: The Prevention Invention presents a step-wise approach for planning and implementing school-based dental sealant programs. The manual addresses issues related to referring students with unmet oral health needs to a dental clinic or office. Professionals working in established school-based dental sealant programs may also find the manual of interest as they work to improve specific aspects of their program.
  • School-Based Dental Sealant Program Training is a series of modules designed to ensure that school-based dental sealant program staff have a thorough understanding of the history, operations, and underlying fundamentals of the program. The training now contains step-by-step techniques used to apply dental sealants, which were formerly found in the Seal America manual.
Seal America nav bar with link to training
This manual is designed to help health professionals initiate and implement a school-based dental sealant program to prevent tooth decay in children. Pair it with the training to earn a completion certificate, or, for professionals licensed in Ohio, a continuing education certificate.

We hope that, with the help of the manual and the training, professionals will launch and implement effective programs with staff who are well prepared to help children from vulnerable populations enjoy the best possible oral health and quality of life.

Resources to Support Oral Health Risk Assessment and Oral Health Evaluation

During the Integrating Oral Health Care and Primary Care Learning Collaborative: A State and Local Partnership project, the Consortium for Oral Health Systems Integration and Improvement collected and summarized information about conducting the oral health risk assessment and the oral health evaluation in prenatal care. These services are two of the five domains of the interprofessional oral health core clinical competencies described in the 2014 report Integration of Oral Health and Primary Care Practice from the Health Resources and Services Administration.

From our COHSII Partners

The Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) and the Dental Quality Alliance (DQA) are partners with OHRC in the Consortium for Oral Health Systems Integration and Improvement (COHSII), funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

New ASTDD Policy Statement on Integration

The ASTDD Dental Public Health Policy committee has announced a new ASTDD policy statement, Integrating Oral Health into Primary Care. ASTDD supports the integration of oral health care into primary care and encourages the development of practice-based and evaluated programs, which can reduce costs, improve health outcomes, and advance health equity. And it encourages state oral health programs to offer support. Katrina Holt, Katy Battani, and Ruth Barzel from OHRC collaborated with ASTDD in the development of this document.

DQA Invites Annual Measure Review

DQA has released its annual call for public comment in order to ensure transparency and establish proper protocols for timely assessment of the evidence and the properties of the DQA measures. This year, the DQA has prepared frequently asked questions for those reviewing and considering commenting on DQA measures. Submit written comments via e-mail to DQA at no later than March 11 (designate “2024 Annual Measure Review” in the e-mail subject line).

Health Professionals Working with Head Start Programs to Improve Oral Health
This handout series offers tips on what dentists, dental hygienists, and medical professionals can do to improve the oral health needs of children and pregnant women and people enrolled in Head Start programs. It highlights the importance of oral health for school readiness and describes the oral health services offered by Head Start programs.   These resources are available in English and Spanish and as PDFs to view and download. On each of the webpages, see the "Español" option at the upper right-hand corner to toggle between languages; select the blue button under the main title for the PDF version.

In the News

 

Call for Abstracts for NNOHA Annual Conference

The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) has issued its call for abstracts for their annual conference September 22-25, 2024, in Baltimore, Maryland. Visit the conference site for information about topics and submission requirements. Abstracts must be submitted by March 11. 


Dental Sealant Webinar February 28

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and the American Dental Association for a webinar on putting prevention into action. There will be a panel discussion on the current landscape of dental sealant uptake and implementation, opportunities and challenges for school-based programs, parental concerns and education, and guidance for providers on evaluating the validity of published research. Register.


State and County Level Water Fluoridation Data

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recently released 2020 state and county level water fluoridation data. Users can view the number of people at the state or county level receiving fluoridated, adjusted, consecutive, natural, or non-fluoridated water. Data are also analyzed across new indicators, including census population, public water system (PWS) population, population on fluoridated drinking water systems, percentage of PWS population receiving fluoridated water, and total number of PWS. Use the interactive map on the CDC Oral Health Data webpage to explore data for your state or county. 

Oral Health Learning 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. On March 14, Kate Parker-Reilly from the Connecticut Dental Health Partnership will present How Medicaid Claims Data Can Inform Medical-Dental Integration and Community Engagement Strategies, with time for discussion. Visit our website to view webinar programs and subscribe to the discussion list to receive announcements about upcoming webinars and the monthly Integration Alert.
We'd like to hear from you! Send us your feedback.
Copyright © 2024 National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center, All rights reserved.

 

This resource was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an annual award totaling $1,325,000 with no funding from nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, or endorsement by, HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. government. For more information, please visit www.HRSA.gov.

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