- Senator Baldwin Introduces HSHS Act to Protect Communities from Hospital Closures
- What to Know about Smoke, Heat and Health
- Tribal Partnership With UW-Madison Combines Ag Research With Indigenous Food Knowledge
- The Rewards of Working as Rural Docs
- Request for Information (RFI): Evolving the Network of the National Library of Medicine
- Dental Therapists, Who Can Fill Cavities and Check Teeth, Get the OK in More States
- Colorectal Cancer Is Rising among Younger Adults. Some States Want to Boost Awareness.
- Rural Hospitals Built During Baby Boom Now Face Baby Bust
- Food Stamps Go Further in Rural Areas — Until You Add Transportation Costs
- CMS Announces Resources and Flexibilities to Assist with the Public Health Emergency in the State of Texas
- CMS Proposes New Payments for Digital Health Under CY2025 PFS Draft Rule
- Improving Public Health by Strengthening Community Infrastructure
- Biden Harris Administration Proposes Policies to Reduce Maternal Mortality, Advance Health Equity, and Support Underserved Communities
- Nearly Half of U.S. Counties Don't Have a Single Cardiologist
- Randolph County, Ill. Turns Unused Part of Nursing Home Into State-Of-The-Art Behavioral Health Center
Calling All Western Pennsylvania Providers: Your Help is Needed!
Are you a provider in Western Pennsylvania? Remote Area Medical® (RAM) needs your help at the upcoming clinic in Butler on November 11 and 12. The clinic will offer free dental care to underserved and uninsured individuals in the area. Volunteers are still needed to join in providing much-needed dental care to the community. Signing up to volunteer is simple – visit this link, select “Volunteer” at the top right of the page, and select “USA: Pennsylvania” and “Butler” when registering. You can also check out a video about volunteering for the upcoming Butler clinic.
Click here to watch the video.
Click here to view the volunteer flyer.
Click here for more information.
Oral Health Kids Resource Now Available in Swahili
Good news! The popular resource, “What Should Kids Drink” is now available in Swahili on the PCOH Request Materials Page!
This resource, created with the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, is intended to help parents and guardians understand the amount of water, milk, and juice that is appropriate for young children from birth to age 5. Please note this resource has previously been translated to Spanish as well. You can order this resource and more on the PCOH Request Materials Page.
Click here to view the resource.
Click here to visit the Request Materials Page.
Community Catalyst Pushes for Expanded Dental Coverage
Community Catalyst submitted a letter to the Biden Administration urging them to address the gaps and inconsistences in the Affordable Care Act’s essential health benefits. Community Catalyst and 50 other groups, including the PA Coalition for Oral Health, signed on to the letter, which also called on the Health and Human Services and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid to adopt several health care services into the Essential Health Benefits framework, including oral health care.
Click here to read the press release.
Click here to read the letter.
Non-Invasive Caries Therapy Guide Released
The CareQuest Institute for Oral Health published the “CareQuest Non-Invasive Caries Therapy Guide,” an illustrated manual of tips and tricks on how to perform evidence-based techniques to improve oral health for all. The goals of the guide are to increase access to care by decreasing resilience on invasive dentistry, transform the oral health workforce by empowering non-dentists to manage dental caries, improve clinical outcomes, and lower barriers to adopting evidence-based techniques.
New CareQuest Infographic Published: Oral Health and Overall Health for Older Adults
The CareQuest Institute for Oral Health and the Lunder-Dineen Massachusetts General Hospital MOTIVATE Program created an infographic that explains the importance of oral health for the overall health of older adults. The infographic also includes recommendations including more communication between physicians, dentists, and patients about the connections between oral health and overall health.
There are versions of the infographic available for both providers and patients.
Click here for more information and to access the infographics.
Oral Health Resource Center Fluoride Varnish Handout Available
The Oral Health Resource Center shared a new patient education handout, “Fluoride Varnish for Adults: Q&A.”
This resource provides information that health professionals can share with adults, including pregnant people, about how fluoride varnish can make their teeth more resistant to tooth decay. The resource explains what fluoride varnish is and discusses its safety. It also addresses things to avoid after it is applied to teeth, how long it lasts, how often it should be applied, and whether it is covered by dental insurance.
New Report Released on Incentivizing Oral Health Care Providers to Treat Patients with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
A new report by the National Council on Disability, “Incentivizing Oral Healthcare Providers to Treat Patients with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities,” delves into three critical factors that impact the access and utilization of dental care services by adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Many individuals with I/DD face significant challenges in accessing high-quality, appropriate, and timely oral health care services. Among minority populations, adults with I/DD represent the largest group with unmet oral healthcare needs.
New Resource Released on Integrating Behavioral Health and Oral Health
The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) released a new resource, “NNOHA User’s Guide for Integration of Behavioral Health and Oral Health.” The resource provides guidance on how to implement a behavioral health and oral health integration program. The guide includes a description of NNOHA’s systems-based framework for behavioral health integration, promising practices from community health centers, and workflow examples. There is also a readiness assessment to help community health centers determine their level of preparedness to implement a behavioral health integration program.
Updated Oral Health Risk Assessment Tool Launched
The American Academy of Pediatrics has streamlined their “Oral Health Risk Assessment Tool.” The tool is now accompanied by an intake form to collect pertinent patient information from parents/caregivers. An updated self-management goal sheet supports shared decision-making on preventing cavities and maintaining healthy teeth at home. The tool is available in both English and Spanish.
New Dental Clinical Practice Guidelines Released
The American Dental Association released a new clinical practice guideline on caries restoration. The new guideline includes sixteen recommendations for treating moderate or advanced caries lesions in primary and permanent teeth without a history of endodontic treatment. The guidance associated conservative approaches to removing carious tissue with a lower risk of adverse effects.