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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Oral health

National Health Service Corps Report to Congress for the Year 2020
Details program accomplishments of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), provides updates on Health Professional Shortage Area designations, explains recruitment efforts for NHSC Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs, provides estimates on number of patients seen by NHSC clinicians, and details short- and long-term retention rates. Features state-by-state data with breakdowns by urban and rural locations.
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Kansas Primary Care Needs Assessment
Reports the results of a statewide needs assessment conducted in 2021 that focuses on the primary care needs of rural and underserved populations in Kansas. Includes discussion on provider shortages, access issues related to quality preventive and primary care services, telehealth services, and more. Shares maps providing county-level data on Primary Care, Dental, and Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Office of Primary Care and Rural Health
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Achieving Health Equity Through Oral Health Value-based Care: A Funder's Perspective
Presents a study on oral healthcare equity and the preventability of dental caries. Discusses oral healthcare access and presents oral health data on American Indian and Alaska Native populations. Highlights a community-based program in rural Virginia.
Author(s): Parrish Ravelli, Katinka Hakuta, Trenae Simpson
Citation: Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 80(S2), S80-S82
Date: 12/2020
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Income Disparities Widen the Gap in Oral Health of California Adults
Policy brief discussing associations between social determinants of health (SDOH) and oral health in California adults using data from the 2017 and 2018 California Health Interview Surveys (CHIS). Describes barriers related to oral health education, literacy, access to care, and oral health screening for low-income populations. Related infographic offers a map of oral health differences by region, noting disparities in rural California counties and data on income and other demographic characteristics.
Additional links: Infographic
Author(s): Nadereh Pourat, Maria Ditter
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organization: UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
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Overview of Rural Child Health
Policy position paper presenting an overview rural child health and factors influencing health disparities in rural children. Highlights disparities in mortality, physical health, preventive health, and oral health. Includes policy recommendations to address these disparities.
Author(s): Peiyin Hung, Matthew Workman, Kim Mohan
Date: 10/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Rural–Urban Disparities in the Distribution of Dental Caries among Children in South-Eastern Louisiana: A Cross-sectional Study
Highlights a study comparing rates of dental caries in elementary school-aged children in rural and urban communities is south-eastern Louisiana. Draws data from as school-based dental screening and sealant program and compares the rates in rural and urban schools.
Author(s): Hasheemah Afaneh, Madhav K.C., Alexandra Lieberman, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 20, 5954
Date: 09/2020
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How Evidence-based Is US Dental Workforce Policy for Rural Communities?
Examines the alignment of policy and infrastructure with evidence-based strategies to promote access to oral health services for rural people. Focuses on best practices as well as barriers and facilitators to implementation of workforce strategies to increase the availability of services. Presents a scoping review of the evidence behind key strategies in the U.S. health policy context.
Author(s): Miranda Werts, Ginachukwa Amah, Elizabeth Mertz
Date: 09/2020
Sponsoring organization: Oral Health Workforce Research Center
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Pennsylvania Oral Health Plan 2020-2030
Describes how efforts, resources, and interests can be combined to strengthen the capacity in Pennsylvania to prevent oral disease and help people achieve a lifetime of good oral health and general health. Includes a section on underserved populations, and mentions rural throughout.
Date: 08/2020
Sponsoring organization: Pennsylvania Department of Health
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Oral Health Value-Based Care - The Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Story
Explores the role Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) play in providing oral healthcare through integration and how FQHCs used technology and flexible workforce modeling to provide care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzes data from the IBM Watson MarketScan Multi-State Database, the Health Resources and Services Administration Uniform Data System, and a survey of participants of the safety net technical assistance program to evaluate health outcomes and service provision of FQHC patients versus non-FQHC patients. Discusses how value-based payment models can effect health outcomes and how FQHCs used telehealth to reach rural and underserved populations during the pandemic.
Date: 08/2020
Sponsoring organizations: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, National Association of Community Health Centers
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Hawaii Health Professional Shortage Areas
Maps representing Hawaii's Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) in the fields of primary care, mental health, and dental health, as well as Federally Designated Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas and Federally Designated Medically Underserved Areas and Populations.
Date: 08/2020
Sponsoring organization: Hawaii State Department of Health
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