Advancing Oral Health in America

The Institute on Medicine released a report titled Advancing Oral Health in America to highlight the role the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) can play in improving oral health and oral health care.

The report, released April 8, was created by a special committee organized in 2009 that explored ways to increase public awareness of the relationship and importance of good oral health to good physical health; promote prevention and improve oral health literacy to health providers and the public; and recommend ways to improve access to oral health care.

Dr. Alice Horowitz, a research associate professor at the SPH, was a member of the committee that reviewed current relevant oral health care actions, the barriers to progress and ways in which policy can improve access to oral health care.

Along with that, the committee examined existing oral health activities and programs; existing regulations, statutes and resources that affect efforts to support oral health care and research data; and financing and policy efforts that bear on oral health.

"We tried to see how HHS could have more of a real focus on oral health," Dr. Horowitz said. 

The committee recommended that HHS design an oral health initiative consistent with IOM’s proposed set of organizing principles, which are based on the areas in greatest need of attention and on the approaches that have the most potential for creating improvements.

In addition, the IOM stressed three key areas needed for successfully maintaining oral health as a priority issue: strong leadership, sustained interest, and the involvement of multiple stakeholders. 

Dr. Horowitz said if the committee's recommendations come together and there is a strong influence with HHS, it could be a model for states to follow in regards to oral health policies and practices.

SPH Staff Joins State and National Officials to Focus on Oral Health

Alice M. Horowitz, a research associate professor at the SPH, and Dushanka Kleinman, the associate dean for research and academic affairs at the SPH, attended a press conference hosted by the Maryland Dental Action Coalition on Monday, February 7 honoring Deamonte Driver, a 12-year-old boy who died four years ago when an untreated tooth infection spread to his brain.

The event highlighted Maryland’s initiatives to improve oral health care for its most vulnerable residents.

This goal is mirrored by Alice Horowitz’s research, entitled the Maryland Oral Health Literacy Model to Prevent Childhood Dental Caries (Tooth Decay). Horowitz has directed an extensive assessment of the communication skills and their understanding and practices related to tooth decay prevention in young children of physicians (pediatricians, family practitioners), nurse practitioners, dentists (pediatric dentists, general practitioners), and dental hygienists. Maryland adults who have young children in their homes were surveyed as well. The findings will be used to create interventions and messages that support better oral health for children and adults alike.

The press conference took place at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene headquarters in Washington, DC, and Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (MD-07), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Maryland Senators Barbara A. Mikulski and Benjamin L. Cardin and Congressman John Sarbanes attended as well. Maryland is the first state to hold a gathering of Senate and Congressional leaders to focus on oral health care in our state and nationally.

The SPH has taken an active role in pursuing and supporting improved oral health care in Maryland. The SPH is a member of the Maryland Dental Action Coalition and a partner in their upcoming state summit that will take place in October.

Kleinman, Horowitz and SPH staff member Wesley Queen are on the advisory board for the Deamonte Driver Dental Project. The goal of the project is to identify and treat children in Prince George’s and neighboring counties in Maryland who do not have dental insurance, are under insured or who have not received dental care.

A week prior to the press conference, the state Senate voted not to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and the legislators at the event emphasized the important role health care reform will play in Maryland’s communities.

Read more about the Deamonte Driver Project's recent accomplishments in this Washington Post article.

Dr. Braun Presents Health Literacy Discussion at Dental Conference

Yesterday Dr. Bonnie Braun addressed attendees at the Dental Management Coalition Conference in Annapolis. It was the 20th year for the event, meeting the needs of health center dental programs. Organizers invite some of the best leaders in clinical dentistry and practice management in the hope of creating better oral health outcomes for their patients.

Her topic was Health Literacy: An Imperative for Action. The participants received CEUs for the session, where they explored how to communicate with dental patients with diverse levels of health literacy.

Below, Dr. Braun accepts a certificate of appreciation and wears a DMC cap.

Maryland's Oral Health Heroes to be Honored

For the first time, Maryland's Oral Health Heroes will be celebrated with a panel discussion this Friday at the National Museum of Dentistry in Baltimore. Event moderator Ralph Fuccillo told The Healthy Turtle that he expects a lively conversation from the leading oral health advocates who will serve as panel members, discussing the state of oral health in Maryland, how the progress can continue, and how oral health access and disease will be addressed in national heath reform.

The public is invited to attend the discussion, titled "Closing the Gap: Making Oral Health Accessible, Affordable, and Achievable," beginning at 9 a.m. Friday, June 4. It is hosted by the Maryland Dental Action Coalition, which has a 2009 grant from the DentaQuest Foundation to support its transition to a sustainable statewide oral health coalition.

The Coalition was established as the Dental Action Committee in 2007 by Maryland's Secretary of Health and Mental Hygeine John M. Colmers, all in response to the death of a 12-year-old boy, Deamonte Driver. His life could have been saved from a simple and inexpensive tooth extraction.

Here's what WaPo wrote upon his death:

"Twelve-year-old Deamonte Driver died of a toothache Sunday.
A routine, $80 tooth extraction might have saved him.
If his mother had been insured.
If his family had not lost its Medicaid.
If Medicaid dentists weren't so hard to find.
If his mother hadn't been focused on getting a dentist for his brother, who had six rotted teeth."

Ralph says the committee of legislators, policy makers, health administrators, and local dental practitioners from across Maryland has the goal to establish policies, practices and public education initiatives aimed at preventing another tragedy like Deamonte's death.

"In the span of a few years, Maryland has become a national model for constructive change," Ralph says. "I can only image how difficult it must be to select just a few of the remarkable individuals working on behalf of better access to prevention and oral health care throughout Maryland for recognition this Friday."

Here's the panel:
• Catherine Dunham of the Children’s Dental health Project
• Dr. Leslie Grant, Past President of the National Dental Association and Chair of the Legislative Committee
• Dr. Norman Tinanoff, of the Department of Health Promotion and Policy of the University of Maryland (and a member of the DentaQuest Foundation’s Board of Directors)
• Laurie Norris, Campaign Manager for the Pew Charitable Trust’s Children’s Dental Campaign
• Barbara Klein, Associate Vice President, Government and Community Affairs for the University of Maryland.

Let The Healthy Turtle know if you attend! Write a comment below this post, or send an e-mail to healthyturtle@gmail.com. Click the map below for directions:

Oral Health is a Big Deal. The Exam? No Sweat.

At this weekend's Maryland Day, I was presented with an interesting thought: Why don't dentists regularly offer oral health exams to check for cancer? It seems an issue, as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and NIH predict 35,000 cases of oral cancer and 7,500 deaths resulting in the U.S. this year.

I received my first oral health exam, offered in the School of Public Health by visiting reps from the University of Maryland Dental School. I didn't know what to expect, but it was painless and didn't take long at all. First, they felt my neck, jaw and face for lumps or other signs of cancer. They pulled my lips back, looking for sores, lumps or white or red patches. They also checked for swelling or abnormal color or texture on or around my tongue, and the roof and floor of my mouth for any abnormalities.

Aside from a few wisdom teeth that are due to come out, I am happy to say I have no signs of oral cancer. It was very little hassle for a good bit of peace of mind. Thanks to the Dental School for visiting our campus on Maryland Day to perform the exams.

Oral cancer is usually preventable by avoiding tobacco use and alcohol, and also by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. If you're concerned about your oral health, ask your dentist about getting an exam. Here are some symptoms and signs that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the NIH tell us to watch out for:

• A sore, irritation, lump or thick patch in your mouth, lip or throat
• A white or red patch in your mouth
  
• A feeling that something is caught in your throat
• Difficulty chewing or swallowing
• Difficulty moving your jaw or tongue
• Numbness in your tongue or other areas of your mouth
• Pain in one ear without hearing loss