TheThe BellwetherBellwether Leading Local Efforts to Improve the Nation’s Oral Health A Newsletter of the News from the President American Association Nancy Rublee for Community Dental Programs t the close of the American Association for Community Dental Pro- grams (AACDP) Symposium held on April 26–27, 2015, in Kansas City, MO, we asked participants to complete an evaluation of the Issue No. 15 A event to help us learn what we did well and make next year’s symposium even better. The evaluations are a testament to the symposium’s success. They June 2015 are filled with phrases like “great speakers,” “great program,” and “very useful information.” I would like to extend heartfelt thanks to the AACDP executive committee for its dedication to putting together a meaningful symposium TABLE OF CONTENTS that serves as the voice for community programs throughout the country. I News from the also wish to warmly thank the American Dental Association for its support, President . 1 the Missouri Dental Hygienists’ Association for sponsoring continuing educa- tion credits, the National Oral Health Conference administrative coordinators AACDP Symposium . 3 for making sure everything went smoothly, and the Association of State and AACDP Awards . 7 Territorial Dental Directors and the American Association of Public Health Dentistry for all their help. Legislative, Regulatory, and Policy Update . 9 Overview of Oral Health Activities in Kansas . 10 In the News . 11 AACDP Annual Symposium— Save the Date! . 13 AACDP Executive Committee Members 2014–2015 . 14 The Bellwether 1 AACDP has been actively that community drinking water systems be fluo- advocating during the ridated at a level of 0.7 parts per million (ppm), past year on several which is the optimal level for preventing dental important issues. Fol- caries in all people while limiting risk of dental lowing are some of our fluorosis. After 53 years supporting a fluoridation accomplishments: level range of 0.7–1.2 ppm, this year the U.S. PHS • Wrote a letter to Hon- updated its recommendation to reflect current orable Harold Rogers, research. The updated recommendation is based chairman of the House on new data that take into account changes in Committee on Appro- the prevalence of dental fluorosis, the relation- priations, in support of ship between water intake in children and outdoor the Alternative Dental temperatures, and the contribution of fluoride in Health Care Provider Demonstration Grants Pro- drinking water to total fluoride exposure in the gram (Section 340G-1 of the Public Health Service United States. Although the U.S. PHS recommends Act). community water fluoridation as an effective public health intervention, the decision about whether to • Wrote letters to The News Tribune in Tacoma, WA, fluoridate water systems is made by state and local and The Costco Connection in support of imple- governments. menting or maintaining optimal community water fluoridation. It is important that we, as oral health profession- als, remain aware that the public is poorly informed • Wrote a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Med- about the fact that consuming water that is fluori- icaid Services (CMS) in response to a request for dated at the optimal level is the most effective way information about the evolution of accountable to prevent dental caries. Instead, the public contin- care organization initiatives at CMS. ues to believe that toothbrushing and flossing are • Wrote a letter to President Barack Obama in more important. It will take oral health profession- support of nominating Charles Grimm, D.D.S., als’ ongoing use of consistent messages to change M.P.H., as Surgeon General of the United States. public perception of community water fluoridation, • Wrote a letter to the editor of The Lancet and, ultimately, improve oral health throughout our Neurology, identifying inaccurate information nation. in the article “Neurobehavioral Effects of In December 2012, the Centers for Disease Control Development Toxicity” by Philippe Grandjean and Prevention (CDC) estimated that approximate- and Philip Landrigan. ly 200 million people in the United States were • Wrote a letter to the Commission on Dental served by 12,341 community water systems that Accreditation about the development of accredi- added fluoride to water or purchased water with tation standards for dental-therapy-education added fluoride from other systems. CDC antici- programs. pates that implementation of the 0.7 ppm recom- mendation will lead to a 25-percent reduction in • Wrote a letter to the U.S. House of Representa- fluoride intake from water alone and a 14-percent tives and the U.S. Senate in support of extending reduction in total fluoride intake. Because of the funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance new recommendation, children and adults of all Program. ages will continue to enjoy the benefits of commu- During the coming year, AACDP will continue nity water fluoridations, and at the same time, the working diligently to support the new U.S. Public incidence of very mild to mild dental fluorosis will Health Service (U.S. PHS) 2015 recommendation decrease. n 2 The Bellwether at Head Start centers, schools, group homes, and AACDP Symposium nursing homes and offer all the modern amenities available at traditional dental offices. ollowing is an overview of the AACDP sympo- Fsium that was held on April 26–27, 2015, in Kansas City, MO. Many of the speakers’ slides are available on AACDP’s Meetings webpage. Nuts and Bolts: Best Practice Models—Programs That Work Meeting Oral Health Needs with Affiliated Practice Strategies Michelle Gross-Panico (Chandler Children’s Dental Clinic) offered information about Chandler Chil- dren’s Dental Clinic, which is part of Dignity Health, an organization that operates 40 hospitals and care centers in Arizona, California, and Nevada. The Pictured: Michael Helgeson mission of Dignity Health is to deliver compassion- Public Schools: Public Health—A Reasonable, ate, high-quality, affordable health services; serve Attainable, and Sustainable Community and advocate for those with the greatest need; and Dental Health Project partner with others in the community to improve quality of life. Ms. Gross-Panico discussed the clinic’s Antoinette Kahan (Virginia Beach Technical and budget, funding sources, outcomes, and challenges. Career Education Center) described efforts by the She also provided information about the organi- Virginia Beach Department of Public Health and zation’s community early childhood oral health the Virginia Beach Technical and Career Education program for infants and young children from birth Center to provide free oral health care to eligible through age 5. students who attend sessions at the center. Students who are eligible for services include those currently Apple Tree Dental enrolled in the Virginia Medicaid program or those Michael Helgeson (Apple Tree Dental) provided who participate in the Virginia Beach City Public information about Apple Tree Dental, a nonprofit Schools free meal program and are currently not organization dedicated to improving the oral health of all people, including those with special oral- health-access needs who face barriers to care. Apple Tree Dental’s programs are designed to be proactive and patient centered, focused on prevention and outcomes, geographically distributed, collaborative and interdisciplinary, and telehealth enabled. Staff provide oral health education and preventive and restorative oral health services to vulnerable popula- tions and also provide leadership and innovation to help transform the oral health care system. Apple Tree Dental’s mobile dental offices—a delivery-truck system with an integrated software system for sched- uling, recordkeeping, and billing—deliver services Pictured: Antoinette Kahan The Bellwether 3 under the care of a dentist. Key factors for the success of the program include collaborative effort and com- munity support, targeting of the neediest students, noninvasiveness to the school system, and demon- strated benefits and effectiveness of the program. Welcome from Missouri Kecia Leary (Missouri Coalition for Oral Health) welcomed attendees to Missouri and provided an overview of oral health issues and resources in the state. She also discussed the goals of the Missouri Coalition for Oral Health, which include working to expand community water fluoridation in Missouri, Pictured: Larry Hill, moderator, Ann Hoffman, and Martha McReynolds expand access to dental sealants for children who do not receive oral health care routinely, and sup- program’s goals are to improve the oral health status port the inclusion of robust oral health benefits as of infants, children, and adolescents from birth the Affordable Care Act (ACA) moves forward in the through age 18 in Missouri who are at high risk for state. Missouri is ranked by CDC as 47th among all oral disease by evaluating their oral health status the states in terms of access to oral health care, so and needs, implementing prevention strategies, there are many challenges. providing oral-health-educational information, and initiating referrals for dental services as needed. Registered Dental Practitioners: Local Efforts Katrina McGivern (Kansas Dental Project) discussed the Kansas Dental Project, which is working to address oral health work force shortages in Kansas by advocating to integrate registered dental profes- sionals (RDPs) into oral health teams to provide more individuals living in rural and underserved communities in Kansas with access