Blog

“Kira Johnson lost her life to the Black maternal health crisis not because she was unhealthy, uninsured, or unlucky, but because she was unheard,” said U.S. Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, who represents North Carolina’s 12th Congressional District. 

Happy National Dental Hygienist week! The second week of every April, we celebrate the outstanding, dedicated, and selfless work dental hygienists do — inside and outside of clinical settings — to improve the oral health system. 

Caries Management by Risk Assessment (CAMBRA) has existed for more than 20 years. But many oral health providers may be unfamiliar with why or how to use it. 

Carolina Family Health Centers, Inc. has provided medical and dental care for patients in three North Carolina counties for years. But during that time, the Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) was having trouble accessing a specific part of the population that needed oral health care — children. 

By Andrea Clark, MS, Director, Health Care Economics, and Renee Clark, Care Coordination & Interoperability ManagerThe health care system in the United States is unique in many often-cited ways. It does not provide universal coverage, mixes publicly and privately funded insurances, and spends more on care per person than any other wealthy country.

By Melissa Burroughs, Director, Public Policy, CareQuest Institute

A Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in southern California noticed an alarming statistic last year: Only about 22% of their pediatric medical patients were also going to their dental department. “We really wanted to promote the one-stop-shop, under-one-roof, collaborative care with the medical providers and really dig into why they weren’t seeking dental care at all or . . . were going elsewhere,” says Rebecca Cornille, DDS, the chief dental officer at Vista Community Clinic (VCC). 

CareQuest Institute is always seeking new voices representing historically marginalized communities to advance oral health. Through its philanthropic work, it partners with grassroots and community-based organizations that represent and engage those who are most directly impacted by oral health inequities. On March 13, the Institute is opening two new requests for proposals, looking to fund projects and partner with organizations that are: 

From 2005 to 2020, the percentage of US dentists who identify as Black has stayed around 3.8%. “The stagnant nature of this percentage should give us all pause,” said Eleanor Fleming, PhD, DDS, MPH. “This disparity is why having conversations like this around Black dentists, Black workforce, and issues related to the Black community are important for those of us who work in oral health.” 

Katanta Simwanza, DDS, knows what it’s like to not have access to oral health care. “Growing up, I was surrounded by a high prevalence of dental diseases within my community where oral health services were scarce,” Simwanza says. “I, and many other children and elders alike, personally experienced the pain of dental abscesses and oral health diseases.” These experiences growing up in Tanzania pointed him toward pursuing a career in health — specifically oral health.