National Maternal and Child
Oral Health Resource
Center
This and past issues of the Oral Health Alert: Focus on Head Start are available at http://www.mchoralhealth.org/alert/archives.html.
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1. Baby Your Baby, Mind Your Mouth, See Your Dentist
This digital videorecording focuses on the importance of an infant's
first visit to the dentist. The videorecording was developed as a
collaborative project of Utah's Baby Your Baby and Mind Your Mouth
public-awareness campaigns for pregnant and parenting women.
Information is presented on how the dentist can help parents take steps
to develop healthy oral habits for their infants.
Contact: Utah Department of Health, Baby Your Baby Program, P.O. Box
142106, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-2106. Hotline: (800) 826-9662; Web
site: http://www.babyyourbaby.org.
Available at no charge from the Web site at http://www.babyyourbaby.org/infantinfo/baby_teeth.htm.
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2. Improving MaineCare Dental Access for Maine Children:
9th Annual Report to the Joint Standing Committee on Health And Human
Services
This report was issued to the Joint Standing Committee on Health and
Human Services in response to a legislative initiative to ensure that
children enrolled in the state Medicaid program, MaineCare, have the
same access to oral health care as do children who have private dental
insurance. Contents include a letter to the committee from the
MaineCare Program Director and information on issues in oral health
care in the state, outreach efforts to members and oral health
professionals, and participation in oral health forums.
Contact: Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Office of
MaineCare Services, 11 State House Station, 442 Civic Center Drive,
Augusta, ME 04333-0011. Telephone: (800) 606-0215; (202) 287-9202; Web
site: http://www.maine.gov/bms/index.shtml.
Available at no charge from the Web site at http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/bms/pdfs_doc/reports/dental_complete_report_2006.doc.
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3. Medicaid Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and
Treatment: State Innovation Leads to Improved Oral Health Participation
Rates
This report provides an overview of child oral health screening rates
and summarizes initiatives to increase children's utilization of oral
health care through the Medicaid Early and Periodic Screening,
Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) program in six states -- Alabama,
Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Vermont, and Washington. Data
are drawn from states' reports of participation rates on the uniform
EPSDT reporting form (CMS Form-416) and presented in tables. The data
include the percentage of children who received a well-child screen and
who received oral health services in 2004 and 2005. Steps that states
have taken to implement programs and initiatives designed to increase
access to oral health care for children eligible for Medicaid are
presented.
Contact: National Health Law Program, Chapel Hill, N.C. Office, 211
North Columbia Street, 2nd Floor, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Telephone:
(919) 968-6308; fax: (919) 968-8855; e-mail: nhelp@healthlaw.org; Web site: http://www.healthlaw.org.
Available at no chage from the Web site at http://www.healthlaw.org/library.cfm?fa=download&resourceID=98415&print.
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4. Public Health Supervision Agreement
This form is used to report to the Iowa Bureau of Oral Health a
collaborative agreement between a dentist and a dental hygienist to
allow the hygienist to provide services to individuals in public health
settings before being seen by a dentist for an oral examination. Data
include the parties of the agreement; locations where services will be
provided; consultation requirements; dental records; individual
considerations; and standing orders for oral prophylaxis, education
services, assessment and screening, fluoride varnish, dental sealants,
and other services. Additional materials are available from the Web
site.
Contact: Iowa Department of Public Health, Oral Health Bureau, Lucas
State Office Building, 321 East 12th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319-0075.
Telephone: (515) 281-3733; fax: (515) 242-6013; Web site: http://www.idph.state.ia.us/hpcdp/oral_health.asp.
Available at no charge from the Web site at http://www.idph.state.ia.us/hpcdp/common/pdf/oral_health/sample_agreement.pdf.
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5. Dental Screening of Preschool Children Using
Teledentistry: A Feasibility Study
This study assessed the feasibility and reliability of using intraoral
cameras and telehealth communication technology to screen preschool-age
children for oral disease, in particular early childhood caries (ECC).
The authors found that there was no statistically significant
difference between a visual examination and an examination using an
intraoral camera, thus suggesting that the intraoral camera is a
feasible and potentially cost-effective alternative to a visual oral
examination for dental caries screening, especially ECC screening, in
preschool-age children attending childcare centers.
Kopycka-Kedzierawski DT, Billings RJ, McConnochie KM. 2007. Pediatric
Dentistry 29(3):209-213. Abstract available at http://www.aapd.org/searcharticles/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=2168.
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6. Development of a Word Recognition Instrument to Test
Health Literacy in Dentistry: The REALD-30-A Brief Communication
This study aimed to develop and pilot-test a dental-word-recognition
instrument. The new REALD-30 instrument displayed good reliability but
only partial validity. Results suggest that dental health literacy may
be distinct from medical health literacy and may have an independent
effect on dental health outcomes.
Lee JY, Rozier RG, Lee SD, Bender D, Ruiz RE. 2007. Journal of Public
Health Dentistry 67(2):94-98.
Readers: A related article titled Evaluation of a Word Recognition
Instrument to Test Health Literacy in Dentistry: The REALD-99 is also
available in the April-June 2007 issue of the Journal of Public Health
Dentistry.
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