Special Notice
On July 29, 2010, the Administration for
Children and Families released an Information Memorandum
(ACF-IM-HS-10-05) to encourage Early Head Start and Head
Start grantees and delegate agencies to participate in
the planning and implementation of the Maternal, Infant,
and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. More information
is available online.
Foundation Collaboration: Partnering to Improve Young
Children's Oral Health
This document provides an overview of CHOMPERS: Bringing
Dental Care to Kids, a multifaceted initiative to bring
oral health education, prevention, and treatment to young
children living in central and western New York. Topics
include implementing the Cavity Free Kids curriculum,
engaging pediatric health professionals in applying fluoride
varnish during well-child visits, and using portable dental
equipment to bring oral health services to child care
settings.
Slichta A, Cusick A. 2010. Washington, DC: Grantmakers
in Health. 2 pp. The document is available online.
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Increasing Access to Dental Care Through Public Private
Partnerships: Contracting Between Private Dentists and
Federally Qualified Health Centers—An FQHC Handbook
This handbook explains contracting opportunities available
to dentists in private practice and to federally qualified
health center (FQHC) administrators as well as the process
for leveraging these opportunities. The handbook also
provides a decision chart for establishing and implementing
contractual arrangements that comply with federal rules
and policy. Topics include sources of funding for oral
health care; service locations and applicable policies
and procedures; payment mechanisms and scope of contracted
services; billing patients, Medicaid, and other third
parties; risks; accountability; roles for federal and
state agencies; alternative dental arrangements; and technical
assistance. A model contract, a decision flow chart, and
a model oral health services agreement are included.
Children's Dental Health Project. 2010. Washington, DC:
Children's Dental Health Project. 26 pp. The handbook
is available online.
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Oral Health Directory
This document was prepared to assist in the development
and expansion of oral health programs in Michigan. The
document includes a state map showing counties with and
without community dental clinics. A series of tables presents
information about each clinic, including contact information,
population served, services, and area served. Information
on clinics that provide oral health services statewide
is included.
Michigan Department of Community Health, Division of
Family and Community Health. 2010. Lansing, MI: Michigan
Department of Community Health. 125 pp. The document is
available online.
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Smiles for Life: A National Oral Health Curriculum (3rd ed.)
This curriculum comprises seven 45-minute modules covering
core areas of oral health for clinicians and educators.
Topics include oral and systemic health, child oral health,
adult oral health, acute oral health problems, oral health
and pregnant women, fluoride varnish, and the oral examination.
The modules may be completed online or downloaded and
are suitable for individual or small group education.
Information to assist clinicians in applying fluoride
varnish for reimbursement by state Medicaid programs is
included. Posters in English and Spanish may also be downloaded.
Douglass AB, Maier R, Deutchman M, Douglass JM, Gonsalves
W, Silk H, Tysinger JW, Wrightson AS. 2010. Leawood, KS:
Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, Group on Oral
Health. The curriculum is available online.
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Impact of Caregiver Literacy on Children's Oral Health Outcomes
This article presents findings from a study to assess the
relationship between a primary caregiver's literacy and
the caregiver's child's oral health. Caregiver literacy
was measured using the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy
in Dentistry, with total scores ranging from 0 (lowest literacy)
to 30 (highest literacy). Children's oral health status
was determined by standardized clinical examination. Results
indicated that there was a significant relationship between
caregivers' literacy scores and children's oral health status.
Children with mild to moderate treatment needs were more
likely to have caregivers with higher literacy scores than
children with severe treatment needs.
Miller E, Lee JY, DeWalt DA, Vann WF. 2010. Pediatrics
126(1):107-114. Abstract available online.
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Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Dental Care for Publicly
Insured Children
This article discusses a study to explore differences in
the frequency of dental visits and length of time between
visits among children covered by private and public insurance
in California. The study also examined differences across
racial and ethnic groups. Latino and African-American children
were more likely than white children either to have never
had a visit or to have had longer intervals between visits.
Latino and African-American children enrolled in Medicaid
were significantly less likely than white children enrolled
in Medicaid to have had a visit in the past 6 months. No
racial or ethnic differences were observed among children
enrolled in the Children's Health Insurance Program or among
those with private insurance.
Pourat N, Finocchio L. 2010. Health Affairs 29(7):1356–1363.
Abstract available online.
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