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. Don't Wait Until It Hurts
This pamphlet instructs parents and other caregivers on how to care for
children's teeth, emphasizing the need for regular dental visits (which
may include examinations, cleanings, fluoride treatments, dental
sealants, or fillings) to keep teeth healthy. Key messages are designed
to enhance the oral health literacy of parents and other caregivers.
Tips to help them use the oral health care system are included, for
example, marking appointment dates and times on a calendar, making
advance arrangements for transportation and child care, and arriving on
time for appointments. Tips on daily oral health care for children of
all ages are also presented.
Contact: Sheila Semler, Michigan Department of Community Health,
Capitol View Building, 201 Townsend Street, Lansing, MI 48913.
Telephone: (517) 335-8388; Web site: http://www.michigan.gov/mdch.
Available at no charge; also available at no charge from the Web site
at http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dental_eng_65589_7.pdf.
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2. Fluoride Varnish Information for Providers of
Minnesota Child And Teen Checkups (C and TC)
This fact sheet provides information about fluoride varnish for health
professionals who provide services to children and adolescents enrolled
in Child and Teen Checkups, Minnesota's Early and Periodic Screening,
Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) program. The fact sheet presents
national statistics on dental caries in children, discusses the safety
and use of fluoride varnish in preventing tooth decay, and describes
the role of primary care health professionals in applying fluoride
varnish for children who are at moderate or high risk for tooth decay.
Additional resources are provided, including instructions for billing
for fluoride varnish applications for children enrolled in Minnesota
health care programs.
Contact: Minnesota Department of Human Services, 444 Lafayette Road
North, St. Paul, MN 55155. Telephone: (651) 297-3933, (800) 627-3529
(TDD), (877) 627-3848 (speech-to-speech relay); e-mail: DHS.Info@state.mn.us; Web site:
http://www.dhs.state.mn.us.
Available at no charge from the Web site at http://edocs.dhs.state.mn.us/lfserver/Legacy/DHS-5012-ENG.
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3. Mouth and Teeth: How to Keep Them Healthy
This fact sheet for consumers provides tips for taking care of the
mouth and teeth throughout life to prevent oral health problems. The
content emphasizes the importance of routine oral hygiene and regular
dental visits for infants, children, adolescents, and adults. The fact
sheet is available in English and in Spanish.
Contact: American Academy of Family Physicians, 11400 Tomahawk Creek
Parkway, Leawood, KS 66211-2672. Telephone: (913) 906-6000, (800)
274-2237; e-mail: fp@aafp.org; Web
site: http://www.aafp.org. Available
at no charge from the Web site at http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/prevention/100.html.
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4. Oral Health Among Low-Income Rural Families:
Implications for Policy and Programs
This policy brief discusses the oral health status of families with low
incomes living in rural Maryland, as well as implications for policy
and programs. The brief is based on a multi-state, longitudinal study
of the well-being of families with low incomes within the context of
welfare reform. Data on demographics (employment and education) and
oral health indicators (dental visits within the last year, dental
insurance) as reported by mothers in Maryland compared to mothers in
other states are provided. Other topics include the importance of oral
health, barriers to oral health, and the need for dental insurance.
Policy recommendations to improve access to care, expand the work
force, and educate the public are included.
Contact: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative State Research,
Education, and Extension Service, 1400 Independence Avenue, N.W., Stop
2201, Washington, DC 20250-2201. Telephone: (202) 720-7441; Web site: http://www.csrees.usda.gov.
Available at no charge from the Web site at http://www.csrees.usda.gov/nea/food/pdfs/oral_health.pdf.
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5. Web-Based Manuals for Professionals Working to Improve
the Public's Oral Health
This brochure provides information about three Web-based manuals
developed for use by professionals working to improve the public's oral
health. The manuals include (1) the Mobile-Portable Dental Manual, (2)
the Safety Net Dental Clinic Manual, and (3) Seal America: The
Prevention Invention (2nd ed.). Brief descriptions of each manual are
presented, along with chapter titles and selected features. Information
about the federal and state agencies and national organizations that
produced and maintain the manuals is also included.
Contact: National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center,
Georgetown University, Box 571272, Washington, DC 20057-1272.
Telephone: (202) 784-9771; fax: (202) 784-9777; e-mail: info@mchoralhealth.org; Web
site: http://www.mchoralhealth.org.
Available at no charge from the Web site at http://www.mchoralhealth.org/PDFs/ManualsBrochure.pdf.
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