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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Special
Notice: National Children's Dental Health Month (NCDHM) is an annual
nationwide observance throughout the month of February to increase
public awareness of oral health issues specific to children and to help
parents understand the role of prevention in optimum health. The
American Dental Association (ADA) is featuring a poster and activity
sheets for children and a program-planning kit and presentation
materials for health professionals, teachers, parents, and others to
use in promoting oral health. More information is available from the
ADA Web site at http://www.ada.org/prof/events/featured/ncdhm.asp.
The American Dental Hygienists' Association (ADHA) is recognizing NCDHM
by emphasizing the importance of routine oral health care in preventing
periodontal disease in pregnant women. The ADHA press release is
available at http://www.adha.org/media/releases/01242008_NCDHM.htm.
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1. Knowledge Path: Oral Health and Pregnant Women,
Infants, Children, and Adolescents
This knowledge path is a guide to recent resources that analyze data,
describe programs, and report on policy and research aimed at improving
access to and the quality of oral health care. Contents include Web
sites and resources from national and state organizations, distance
education resources, databases, and newsletters and online discussion
lists. Separate sections identify resources for professionals,
resources for consumers, and resources on specific aspects of oral
health. Selected topics include child care and Head Start, dental
sealants, early childhood caries, fluoride varnish, K-12 education,
pregnancy, and school-based care. [Funded by the Maternal and Child
Health Bureau]
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/knwpathoralhealth.html.
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2. First Steps to a Healthy Smile
This brocure for parents and other caregivers presents information on
oral health care for infants and young children from birth to age 2.
The content emphasizes the importance of establishing
oral-health-promoting behaviors from an early age. Topics, presented in
developmental stages (birth to 12 months, 12 to 24 months, and 24
months), include the following: when and how to clean an infant's gums,
when and how to brush and floss a child's teeth, and when to schedule
dental visits. Tooth decay in primary teeth, the use of fluoride
toothpaste, nutrition, and sucking habits are also addressed.
Contact: American Academy of Pediatrics, P.O. Box 747, 141 Northwest
Point Boulevard, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-1098. Telephone: (847)
434-4000, (800) 433-9016; fax: (847) 434-8000; Web site: http://www.aap.org. Available at no
charge from the Web site at http://www.aap.org/publiced/BR_firststepshealthysmile.pdf.
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3. Oral Health Risk Assessment: Training for
Pediatricians and Other Child Health Professionals
This continuing education activity for pediatricians and other primary
care health professionals provides an overview of how to conduct an
oral health risk assessment and triage for infants and young children.
The information is based on the American Academy of Pediatrics' policy
statement, Oral Health Risk Assessment Timing and Establishment of a
Dental Home. The materials focus on dental caries in infants and young
children from birth to age 3. Topics include the role of primary care
health professionals in assessing the oral health of infants and
children, the pathogenesis of dental caries, oral health risk
assessment, prevention strategies, establishing a dental home, and oral
health education. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]
Contact: American Academy of Pediatrics, P.O. Box 747, 141 Northwest
Point Boulevard, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-1098. Telephone: (847)
434-4000, (800) 433-9016; fax: (847) 434-8000; Web site: http://www.aap.org. Available at no
charge from the Web site at http://www.aap.org/commpeds/dochs/oralhealth/cme.
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4. Smile Healthy
Smile Healthy is an American Dental Association (ADA) initiative to
help consumers make smart oral health choices when shopping for food.
The program will award its logo to products such as fluoridated bottled
water and various foods that promote oral health. The logo will tell
the consumer that the product has met rigorous performance and testing
standards and is recognized by the ADA as a smart oral health choice.
The program will be open to products that provide smart choices for
maintaining oral health, not including products directly used in oral
hygiene or in the treatment of oral disease. Revenue from the program
will go to the ADA Foundation to support access to care initiatives,
dental education, and research and public education on oral health
issues.
Contact: American Dental Association, 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago,
IL 60611-2678. Telephone: (312) 440-2500; fax: (312) 440-7494; e-mail: info@ada.org; Web site: http://www.ada.org. Available at no
charge from the Web site at http://www.ada.org/ada/prod/smilehealthy/index.asp.
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5. Enhancing
Communication in Dental Clinics with Linguistically Different Patients
This study examined the use of professional interpreters in the oral
health care setting. Overarching themes emerging from key informant
interviews revolved around the following: (1) the need to provide both
health professionals and families with information on the interpreter's
role, (2) the interpreter's role in providing information about culture
and preparing health care staff to manage conflicts between cultural
norms and legal obligations, and (3) the need to clarify the
interpreter's professional, legal, and ethical obligations. The author
concludes that the use of professionally trained interpreters should
receive additional attention in dental education and that training
should focus on areas such as triadic interviewing skills, use of
terminology, pre- and post-treatment meetings between the interpreter
and the dental student or dentists, and ways to enhance communicaton
among all parties involved.
Rowland MI. 2008. Journal of Dental Education 72(1):72-79. Abstract
available at http://www.jdentaled.org/cgi/content/abstract/72/1/72.
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6. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal-Child Nursing --
Special Issue on Oral Health in Women and Children
This special issue focuses on the role of nurses in promoting oral
health in women, children, and adolescents. Topics includes a nurses'
call to action to help improve oral health in women; gaps in practice
and research on pregnancy and oral health and recommendations to close
these gaps; and maternal periodontal disease, pregnancy, and neonatal
outcomes. The journal also addresses infant nutrition and oral health,
early childhood caries and suggestions for improving oral health in
children, and nursing care and management of pathological oral
conditions in women and children. Additional content focuses on
nurse-dentist collaboration.
Freda MC, ed. 2008. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal-Child Nursing
33(1):1-64. Available at http://www.mcnjournal.com.
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