Children's Oral Health Benefits
This brief describes state requirements and options in
the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization
Act (CHIPRA) aimed at improving the oral health of children
in Medicaid and CHIP. Topics include (1) providing dental
benefits through a state-defined benefit package or adopting
dental benefits equal to those in a dental benchmark plan
and (2) providing supplemental dental coverage to children
who have other health insurance through an employer-sponsored
or other group health plan but have inadequate or no dental
benefits under that coverage. Other dental provisions
in CHIPRA are briefly addressed.
Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. 2010.
Washington, DC: Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the
Uninsured. 4 pp. The brief is available online.
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Maryland’s Mouths Matter: Fluoride Varnish and Oral
Health Screening Programs for Kids—Training for EPSDT
Providers in Maryland
This curriculum is designed to provide Early and Periodic
Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment medical providers
(i.e., physicians, nurse practitioners) and other health
professionals in Maryland with knowledge and skills to
reduce the incidence of dental caries among children ages
3 and under and to contribute to the establishment of
a dental home. The series of four modules provides information
on the role of medical providers in children’s oral health.
Also included is a description of the dental caries process
and instructions on how to conduct a dental caries risk
assessment. Finally, the modules address the provision
of anticipatory guidance, application of fluoride varnish,
and importance of referring young children to a dentist.
[Partially funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]
Tinanoff N, Lowe E, Holt K, Goodman H. 2010. Washington,
DC: National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center;
Baltimore, MD: Maryland Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene, Office of Oral Health. The curriculum is available
online.
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Oral Health Resource Bulletin: Volume XXIII—March 2010
This document lists selected oral health resources that
are available for health professionals, program administrators,
policymakers, and educators in the maternal and child
health community. It includes sections on data; meetings;
national programs; policy; professional education, tools,
and training; public education; and state and local programs.
The bulletin supplements previous volumes. [Funded by
the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]
National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center.
2010. Washington, DC: National Maternal and Child Oral
Health Resource Center. 28 pp. The document is available
online. Past
issues are also available online.
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Increasing Dental Care Utilization by Medicaid-Eligible
Children: A Dental Care Coordinator Intervention
This journal article presents the findings of a study
conducted to assess the effects of an oral health care
coordinator intervention on increasing oral health service
use among children in Medicaid who had not been receiving
routine care. The specific aims were to provide children
and caregivers with education and support in obtaining
care, determine whether children with certain preexisting
characteristics would benefit more than others from the
intervention, and determine which intervention activities
were more or less influential in getting children to the
dentist. The authors found that the intervention was especially
beneficial for children from families with incomes well
below the federal poverty level. Regardless of whether
the coordinator met families in person or interacted with
them via telephone and mail, the intervention was effective
in increasing the use of oral health care.
Binkley CJ, Garrett B, Johnson KW. 2010. Journal of Public
Health Dentistry 70(1):76-84. The abstract is available
onlne.
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Preventive Dental Utilization for Medicaid-Enrolled Children
in Iowa Identified with Intellectual and/or Developmental
Disability
This journal article presents the findings of a study that
analyzed Iowa Medicaid dental claims and compared the use
of preventive oral health services among children ages 3-17
with intellectual or developmental disability (IDD) and
those without IDD. The analysis also identified factors
associated with use. The authors found no statistically
significant difference between the two groups. Factors such
as older age, not residing in a dental Health Professional
Shortage Area, interaction with the medical system, and
family characteristics increased the likelihood of receiving
preventive oral health care.
Chi DL, Momany ET, Kuthy RA, Chalmers JM, Damiano PC.
2010. Journal of Public Health Dentistry 70(1):35-44. The
abstract is available online.
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