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Resources by Topic: Oral health

Dental Utilization for Communities Served by Dental Therapists in Alaska's Yukon Kuskokwim Delta: Findings from an Observational Quantitative Study
Presents results from a program evaluation designed to assess the impact of dental therapists on dental utilization and oral health outcomes in the Yukon Kuskokwim (YK) Delta of Alaska. Examines utilization and outcomes based on total dental therapist treatment days, presents results for both child and adult populations, and focuses on three primary measures: preventive dental care use, extraction of teeth, and dental care under general anesthesia.
Author(s): Donald L. Chi, Dane Lenaker, Lloyd Mancl, et al.
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Washington
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Health Care Access and Utilization Among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Persons in the United States, 2014
Provides detailed statistics on healthcare access and utilization for the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) population as a whole, as well as multiple- and single-race NHPI populations, with comparisons to other groups and to the U.S. population. Topics addressed include health insurance coverage, usual place of care, emergency department visits, delayed care due to cost, dentist visits, influenza and pneumococcal vaccination, and HIV screening.
Author(s): Carla E. Zelaya, Adena M. Galinsky, Catherine Simile, Patricia M. Barnes
Citation: Vital and Health Statistics, 3(41)
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Chartbook: Trends in Rural Children's Oral Health and Access to Care
Findings brief discussing oral health disparities between urban and rural children in 2003, 2007, and 2011-2012. Features statistics including poverty status, health insurance coverage, percentage of children having a recent preventive dental visit, and condition of teeth, with breakdowns by race or ethnicity and urban, large rural, or small rural status.
Author(s): Amy B. Martin, Janice C. Probst, Karen M. Jones
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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Improving Rural Oral Health: Six States' Response to the United States Department of Health and Human Services Oral Health Strategic Framework
Findings brief describing how Colorado, Iowa, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina have responded to the Department of Health and Human Services' 2014-2017 goals for advancing oral health in America, with emphasis on programs available to children. Features statistics including number of dental insurance companies, number of public health dental clinics or Federally Qualified Health Centers providing oral health services, and number of full-time and part-time dentists and dental hygienists at these facilities in each of the six states.
Author(s): Amy B. Martin, Janice C. Probst, Karen M. Jones
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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A Workforce Strategy for Reducing Oral Health Disparities: Dental Therapists
Presents a history of dental therapy as a workforce strategy, from development to implementation. Examines the states and tribal nations that have implemented dental therapists as a means to improve oral healthcare access.
Author(s): Jane Koppelman, Rebecca Singer-Cohen
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 107(Suppl 1), S13-S17
Date: 06/2017
Type: Document
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Access to Dental Care Remains a Challenge for Millions of Michiganders
Report reevaluates a study on oral healthcare access in Michigan. Breaks down key takeaways from the study, such as rates of Medicaid enrolled dentists, access for low-income populations, and dentist distribution.
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Pew Charitable Trusts
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Lessons Learned: A Rural Case Study - Challenges Increasing Access to Dental Care Among Rural Veterans
Details the referral process initiated by the Grand Island Dental Outpatient Team in Nebraska for rural veterans who are ineligible for VA dental coverage to receive basic treatment from community dentists. Discusses some of the challenges to designing and implementing the program, such as establishing new partnerships with local dentists, adhering to a sustainable staffing plan, and pursuing data collection and analysis for measuring outcomes, among other factors.
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Veterans Health Administration's Office of Rural Health
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MORE Care: Narrowing the Rural Interprofessional Oral Health Care Gap
Presents an integrated healthcare model that connects oral health to primary care Rural Health Clinics (RHCs). Discusses challenges and strategies in implementing oral health interprofessional practice (IPP), such as developing dental referral networks and ensuring access to health information technology, among others. Details the collaboration between the State Offices of Rural Health in South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Colorado with the DentaQuest Institute and the Medical University of South Carolina.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Sean G. Boynes, Lisa Davis, Graham Adams, Michelle Mills, Mark Deutchman
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: DentaQuest Institute
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The Oral Health of Montana's Head Start Children, 2016
Describes the prevalence of tooth decay among Montana children aged three to five years enrolled in Head Start compared to children aged three to five years in the general U.S. population from 2015 to 2016. Includes data on decay experience and untreated decay for Montana Head Start children aged three to five years from 2015 to 2016 by gender, race and ethnicity, and rurality.
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
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The Oral Health of American Indian and Alaska Native Children Aged 6-9 Years: Results of the 2016-2017 IHS Oral Health Survey
Provides an overview of the oral health status of American Indian and Alaska Native children in kindergarten through third grad using data from the 2016-2017 Indian Health Service (IHS) oral health surveillance survey.
Author(s): Kathy R. Phipps, Timothy L. Ricks
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Indian Health Service
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