- Rural America Faces Growing Shortage of Eye Surgeons
- NRHA Continues Partnership to Advance Rural Oral Health
- Comments Requested on Mobile Crisis Team Services: An Implementation Toolkit Draft
- Q&A: What Are the Challenges and Opportunities of Small-Town Philanthropy?
- HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson, Joined by Co-Chair of the Congressional Black Maternal Health Caucus Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, Announces New Funding, Policy Action, and Report to Mark Landmark Year of HRSA's Enhancing Maternal Health Initiative
- Biden-Harris Administration Announces $60 Million Investment for Adding Early Morning, Night, and Weekend Hours at Community Health Centers
- Volunteer Opportunity for HUD's Office of Housing Counseling Tribe and TDHE Certification Exam
- Who Needs Dry January More: Rural or Urban Drinkers?
- Rural Families Have 'Critical' Need for More Hospice, Respite Care
- States Help Child Care Centers Expand in Bid To Create More Slots, Lower Prices
- Rural Telehealth Sees More Policy Wins, but Only Short-Term
- Healing a Dark Past: The Long Road To Reopening Hospitals in the Rural South
- Study: Obstetrics Units in Rural Communities Declining
- Q&A: Angela Gonzales (Hopi), on New Indigenous Health Research Dashboard
- Not All Expectant Moms Can Reach a Doctor's Office. This Kentucky Clinic Travels to Them.
Teledentistry: Connecting Rural Communities to Dental Care
This resource summarizes a report that found rural Americans are more likely to experience tooth decay than their urban counterparts. It explores teledentistry as a solution to addressing the disparity and discusses states that have introduced legislation to establish teledentistry and expand access to oral health services. Read more here.
Free Oral Health Educational Curriculum: Smiles for Life
Smiles for Life (SFL) is a free online oral health curriculum. The curriculum consists of 60-minute modules covering core areas of oral health relevant to health professionals. The topics are: The Relationship of Oral Health & Systemic Health, Child Oral Health, Adult Oral Health, Acute Dental Problems, Pregnancy & Woman’s Oral Health, Caries Risk Assessment Fluoride Varnish & Counseling, The Oral Exam, and Geriatric Oral Health.
Pennsylvania Releases New Revised Dental Guidance on COVID-19
Recently, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) convened stakeholders to discuss COVID-19 dental guidance and any needed changes. In response, they announced a new Revised DOH Guidelines on COVID-19 for Dental Health Professionals in Pennsylvania. The new guidelines eliminate the negative pressure room requirement, follow CDC recommendations and draw greater distinction between treatment for COVID-19 positive and negative patients.
Treating Children/Adolescents with Special Health Care Needs
The Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC) released “Oral Health Services for Children and Adolescents with Special Health Care Needs: A Resource Guide.” The guide provides descriptions of materials on policy, professional education and practice, program development, and public education.
New from PCOH: COVID-19 Resource Page
The Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health (PCOH) has created an online resource page focusing on COVID-19 information for oral health advocates. The resources are compiled from partners and various other sources. The page will be updated daily with COVID-19 news and webinar offerings.
A Message from State Oral Health Coalition about COVID-19
As the reach of the COVID-19 pandemic intensifies around the state, the PA Coalition for Oral Health (PCOH) is increasingly concerned about access to emergency dental care for everyone in Pennsylvania who may need it. We applaud Governor Wolf for prohibiting elective dental procedures in his statement around life-sustaining businesses last week. It may be increasingly difficult for people to find care as restrictions are announced, and we do have concerns that very few offices in the state will be able to continue providing emergency dental treatment. We are addressing these concerns to those in leadership and continue to work towards a solution to offer palliative care and emergency treatment in the safest manner possible to all who need it.
“What Constitutes a Dental Emergency”
American Dental Association
“Infection Control Guidelines for Healthcare Personnel”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
“Guidance on COVID-19 for Dental Health Care Personnel in Pennsylvania”
Pennsylvania Department of Health
IRRC to Consider New Regulation for Child Abuse Reporting for Dentists
On Thursday, March 19 the Independent Regulatory Review Committee (IRRC) will consider a final regulation, as required by the Child Protective Services Law, to implement the mandatory reporting requirements for practitioners regulated by the State Board of Dentistry. As “mandated reporters,” board regulated practitioners will be required to complete mandatory training in child abuse recognition and reporting.
States’ Oral Health Providers Scope of Practice
Supported through HRSA’s cooperative agreement with National Organizations of State and Local Officials, the Scope of Practice Policy website now includes information on dental hygienists with direct access to initiate treatment without the specific authorization of a dentist. The site also features interactive maps that highlight which states allow dental therapists to practice and which states allow the practice of teledentistry services.
Concerns Expressed with NTP’s 2019 Monograph
In September 2019, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) released a draft monograph concluding that “fluoride is presumed to be a cognitive neurodevelopmental hazard to humans.” Before finalizing its monograph, NTP asked a committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to review its conclusion and decide whether it is supported by the scientific evidence. In a new report, the Committee finds that NTP’s monograph failed to provide adequate support for its conclusion. The American Fluoridation Society (AFS) released a document reviewing the main points of the Committee’s report.
HRSA Retains Dental Sealant Measure for 2020
The draft dental sealant measure, CMS277, captures the percentage of children age 6-9 years, at moderate to high risk for caries who received a sealant on a first permanent molar during the measurement period. The dental sealant measure will be retained for 2020. Based on feedback received during the public comment period, HRSA will not move forward with adding the fluoride varnish measure (CMS74) for 2020.