Oral Health Resource Center Update: November 2023

November 30, 2023

2023 Updates to NOHI Resources

Networks for Oral Health Integration (NOHI) Within the Maternal and Child Health Safety Net (NOHI) are projects funded (2019–2024) by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) to improve access to and use of oral health care for pregnant women, infants, and children at high risk for oral disease.
Profiles that provide information about the projects and chartbooks that display results of an environmental scan have been updated for 2023. These and other project resources are available on OHRC's website, on the main NOHI page and on pages for each network:
COHSII consortium logo

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 MCHB.

Resources from ASTDD

ASTDD has announced an updated Best Practice Approach: Early Childhood Caries: Prevention and Management with associated descriptive reports. This report discusses the strengths and weaknesses of current early childhood caries (ECC) management strategies and outlines a vision for the future of oral health care that emphasizes innovative prevention and treatment, expanded outreach, and a value-based payment system. With funding from MCHB and the Carequest Institute for Oral Health, the report is authored by ASTDD's Best Practices Committee with several contributors and reviewers.

ASTDD has also announced an updated Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) Fact Sheet. Topics include what SDF is, what it does, and indications for its use; strength of evidence for the use of SDF; whether SDF is approved by the Food and Drug Administration; and contraindications for SDF use. Also discussed are other consideration for the use of SDF, recommended protocols; whether SDF can be used with fluoride varnish, other professionally applied fluorides, and dental sealants; the number of states in which Medicaid reimburses for SDF use, and who can apply SDF.

Resources from DQA

DQA's State Oral Healthcare Quality Dashboard offers dynamically-generated state-level reports on DQA quality measures. First released as a dashboard with measures about children, it now features reports on measures during pregnancy and for adults for all 50 states. These reports reflect analysis of Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System Analytic Files from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services by Key Analytics and Consulting, LLC. Technical assistance using the dashboard can be arranged through COHSII or DQA. DQA has also published the 2024 Adult and Pediatric User Guides and Technical Specifications. These documents provide detailed guidance on the use and implementation of DQA quality measures. 
Head Start highlight
Subscribe to Resources to Make You Smile!, a monthly e-newsletter with information and tools to promote good oral health (select "Oral Health" on the subscription page). 
OHRC is a partner in the National Center on Health, Behavioral Health, and Safety, supported by the Office of Head Start. Learn more about oral health in Head Start programs at the Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center (ECLKC).

In the News

 

National Children's Dental Health Month Campaign Materials

Each February, oral health enjoys a focus from National Children's Dental Health month activities. The American Dental Association’s Center for Public and Population Health and Council on Advocacy for Access and Prevention announced that the 2024 National Children’s Dental Health Month materials are ready for order. The website offers resources including activity sheets and a planning guide and an order form for free bilingual posters and postcards. Act now to get ready for February's events.
 

NIDCR Dental Public Health Research Fellowship

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) is pleased to announce that applications for its Dental Public Health Research Fellowship program are now open. The three-year fellowship includes a 12-month full-time residency in dental public health (DPH) followed by a 24-month full-time postdoctoral fellowship with a strong focus on oral health research. A stipend is available to support Dental Public Health Research fellows during the three-year program. This training opportunity requires a full-time commitment, and those selected cannot be enrolled in other training programs. Applications are due by December 15, 2023. 
 

Office of Minority Health Fellowship

The Office of Minority Health Health Equity Leadership Development Initiative at the Mullan Institute aims to develop and support future federal leaders in public health and health equity, with a focus on recruiting individuals from groups that have been underrepresented in federal government leadership positions. The program is sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services and led in partnership with the Office of Minority Health. Applications are due by January 16, 2024.
 

Smiles for Life Best Research Award 

Smiles for Life: A National Oral Health Curriculum (SFL) was created in 2005 to address a lack of oral health curricula available for primary care and other non-dental health providers. Over the past decade, SFL has become one of the most robust oral health educational programs in the United States. Each year, the SFL steering committee encourages the report of research that involves SFL materials through the SFL Research Award. One award will be given to support applicant travel and accommodations to present research findings in a scholarly forum. Applications are due by January 15, 2024.

 

Webinars

Community Dental Health Coordinators: An Introduction to Oral Health Integration for Health Centers

December 7, 2023
From the Health Resources and Services Administration
This webinar will feature representatives from the American Dental Association (ADA), Zufall Health, and Finger Lakes Community Health. ADA will provide facts about the community dental health coordinators (CDHC) program while Zufall Health and Finger Lakes Community Health will share about their experience with having a CDHC on their team. Register.
 

Teledentistry: Bridging Oral Health Access Gaps in the Safety-Net

Dec 12, 2023
From the Health Workforce Technical Assistance Center
Though teledentistry has been in use for decades, the temporary pause of routine oral health services during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a period of rapid teledentistry adoption by providers seeking to serve their patients. Many states modified their teledentistry regulations, such as Medicaid reimbursement, to support the use of teledentistry by safety-net providers. This webinar will discuss findings from a research study on teledentistry use by safety-net providers and explore the variability in regulations across states. Register.

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 December 12, the topic of discussion will be Children’s Oral Health Network of Maine, Health Integration Action Team: A Statewide Network Approach to Reducing the Dental Disease Burden Via Medical/Dental Integration. Visit our website to view webinar programs and subscribe to the discussion list to receive announcements about upcoming webinars and the monthly Integration Alert.
URL: 
https://www.mchoralhealth.org/announcements/index.php