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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Oral health

Grantee Sourcebook: Rural Health Network Development Grant Program, 2014-2017
Detailed descriptions of 54 Rural Health Network Development grant projects funded during the 2014-2017 period. Includes an overview of the networks and their impact, a list of grantees by state and focus area, and grantee profiles providing contact information and in-depth project descriptions.
Date: 08/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, National Rural Health Resource Center
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Closing the Gap on Dental HPSAs: Louisiana Oral Health Workforce Assessment
Discusses findings and offers recommendations from an oral health workforce needs assessment in Louisiana. Highlights the state's oral health status of children and adults, access to care, and fluoridation. Reports on surveys and interviews addressing workforce demographics, practice information, perception of oral health access, and Medicaid policies. Appendices include additional data on state Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
Date: 08/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Louisiana Department of Health
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Dental Therapy in Minnesota
Reports on the dental therapist workforce in Minnesota offering information on education, certification, licensure, and practice. Discusses the financial viability of dental practices employing dental therapists and how dental therapists can increase access to oral care in rural areas.
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health
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Improving Rural Oral Healthcare Access
Policy position brief discussing the oral and systemic health connection and the dental workforce shortage. Highlights the need for interprofessional education and offers recommendations for improving access to rural oral healthcare.
Author(s): Joni Nelson, Jacob Thatcher, Joy Williams
Date: 05/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Using Storytelling to Address Oral Health Knowledge in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities
Results of a study conducted in 3 northern California tribal locations to evaluate an intervention using storytelling to promote prevention of early childhood tooth decay. Participants were 53 women who were pregnant or who had children ages 6 or younger.
Author(s): Brenda Heaton, Christina Gebel, Andrew Crawford, et al.
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 15
Date: 05/2018
Type: Document
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America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2018
Provides a national and state-by-state overview of population health for older adults across 34 measures, as well as two supplemental measures new in 2018: suicide rate and risk of social isolation. Includes a special focus on persistent health disparities and challenges facing rural seniors.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 05/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: United Health Foundation
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The Oral Health of Montana's Kindergarten Children Compared to U.S. Kindergarten Children, 2015-2016
Describes the prevalence of tooth decay among Montana's kindergarten children, including those living in rural areas, compared to kindergarten children in the U.S. between 2005 to 2010. Includes data on the decay experience and untreated decay in Montana kindergarten children in 2015 and 2016 by rurality, race, and ethnicity.
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
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Health Center Dental Employment Frequently Asked Questions
Provides information on health center employment for dental health professionals considering work in this setting.
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Network for Oral Health Access
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Dental Therapists Linked to Improved Dental Outcomes for Alaska Native Communities in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta
Features a study of dental outcomes in Alaska's Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta since Dental Health Aide Therapists (DHATs) have been added to the communities' dental workforce. Details annual data on dental utilization for both children and adults.
Author(s): Donald L. Chi, Dane Lenaker, Lloyd Mancl, Matthew Dunbar, Michael Babb
Citation: Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 78(2), 175-182
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
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Minnesota Oral Health Workforce: Trends & Pipeline Incentives
Provides information on the oral health workforce and access to oral healthcare in Minnesota. Discusses dental Health Profession Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and covers a dentist to population ratio by rurality. Describes oral health trends in Minnesota.
Author(s): Nitika Moibi, Deb Jahnke
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health - Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
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