Topics: Oral health

For more information and resources, see RHIhub’s Oral Health in Rural Communities topic guide.

Making a Difference for Generations to Come: School-Based Oral Healthcare in Louisiana

A Federally Qualified Health Center used grant support to provide primary care oral health assessment and fluoride varnishes in 12 school-based health centers in nine Louisiana parishes, hoping to provide thousands of children with better oral health in the present as well as into adulthood.

Dr. Crystal Willie Sekaquaptewa is the first Native American to work as a dentist in the Utah Navajo Health System. She discusses the importance of patient education and cultural competency.

How do you attract dental students into practice in rural and underserved areas? With 70% of RIDE graduates practicing in those targeted areas, University of Washington School of Dentistry’s RIDE faculty, a preceptor, graduate, and current student share how it’s done and why it works.

In rural communities, a little bit can go a long way. Learn how three Federal Office of Rural Health Policy awardees have used their funds to enhance healthcare access and create sustainable change.

Oral health training programs are equipping Community Health Workers on Navajo Nation, Texas colonias, and Maryland’s Appalachian communities to improve access to dental care and teach people how to take care of their teeth.

Much of a person’s health is determined by social and environmental factors such as housing or access to healthcare. When these factors negatively affect a person’s health, legal intervention combined with medical care may be the best treatment.

As healthcare reform encourages integration of healthcare to treat the patient as a whole, behavioral health and oral care are being integrated into primary care practices around the country.

There is not one nationally recommended model for care integration, but local and federal efforts support more widespread use.

Ending Dentistry by Grandpa

Argues that licensing dental therapists may be the only way to get dental care to Medicaid patients and other underserved populations.

Dentist shortages are prompting rural doctors and nurses to provide dental care themselves.

The Rural Monitor

Articles and resources on key rural health issues, from the Rural Health Information Hub

Topics: Oral health

Making a Difference for Generations to Come: School-Based Oral Healthcare in Louisiana

Dentistry in the Navajo Nation: Q&A with Dr. Crystal Willie Sekaquaptewa

Washington Program Trains Dental Super-Generalists to Serve Rural Communities

Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program Supports Sustainable Change

Community Health Workers Get Trained to Reduce Oral Health Disparities

Health Care Integration Offers Multiple Benefits

Models of Care Integration Continue to Evolve

Ending Dentistry by Grandpa

Finding New Ways to Meet Oral Health Needs in Rural Areas