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December 28, 2021
In 2021, we created a series of blog posts that highlights individuals who are working to improve the oral health system. From providers and policymakers to advocates and patients, our goal is to provide a snapshot of the backgrounds, ideas, successes, challenges, and daily lives of people who are making oral health care more accessible, equitable, and integrated.
Here are short snippets from interviews with some of the people who helped shape oral health care in 2021. (Click the links to read the full interviews.)
Dr. Matthew Horan on Distributing Vaccines and Medical-Dental Integration
Dr. Matthew Horan is executive director of dental services at Harbor Health Services, a federally qualified health center (FQHC) in Massachusetts. We spoke with Dr. Horan about his experience vaccinating patients.
The practice of providing vaccinations as part of a routine oral health visit is an example of medical-dental integration. Do you see this as a catalyst toward more integrated care going forward?
The pandemic has led to rapid regulatory changes that allowed for an environment of crazy care innovation — telehealth and vaccine delivery are just a couple of examples. I do think that in the near future, vaccines, more generally, will become an established part of comprehensive dental care in the same way that monitoring blood pressure is now. Diabetes screening, rapid HIV testing, and depression screening are just a few examples. There are lots of ways we can help out on the dental side. Vaccines are just the tip of the iceberg of where we can collaborate as health systems.
Dr. Eleanor Fleming on Tackling Inequity and the Future of Oral Health
Eleanor Fleming, PhD, DDS, MPH, was an associate professor in the department of Dental Public Health at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, at the time of her interview. Dr. Fleming, who is now assistant dean for diversity and inclusion at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, shared her thoughts on living through the COVID-19 pandemic as an epidemiologist.
What have the last 18 months been like through the eyes of an epidemiologist?
The politicization of public health has been shocking to me. I realize that I am a political scientist, so I should not be shocked . . . and yet here I am. It is heartbreaking to see wearing a mask as a political act. As an epidemiologist, I have been pleased to see more people paying attention to data and public health practice. I hope that the last 18 months have made clear just how important public health is and how underfunded public health systems are. As an equity issue, this becomes an opportunity to advocate.
Derek M. Griffith on the Connection Between Structural Racism and Health Outcomes
Derek M. Griffith is a founding codirector of the Racial Justice Institute and founder and director of the Center for Men’s Health Equity. He shared his thoughts on the connection between structural racism and health outcomes.
Why should oral health professionals care about racism?
With any kind of health care provider, when your patients come in and have poor health, you want to be able to help them fix and prevent problems. Racism helps to identify ways some patients may not have the same opportunities as others to engage in preventive care or to fix problems once they occur. It’s certainly not the only reason, but it helps to explain why when we zoom out from individuals to populations, we see remarkably similar patterns over time and across locations.
We need to see patients who have different identities and try to give a fuller, richer, and accurate understanding of their obstacles to health. Some are certainly within their control, but many behaviors are shaped by the environments where they live.
Alex Sheff on Advocating for Oral Health
Alex Sheff is codirector of policy and government relations at Health Care for All (HCFA), a consumer health advocacy organization that supports health justice in Massachusetts. Alex discussed how HCFA advocates for improvements within oral health.
What’s unique about this work to improve oral health? What drives you and your team?
I’ll give you an anecdote. I have a friend who runs a community partner program that helps people with complex needs navigate care in the state. She asked me to speak at their advisory board meeting, and I started to talk about HCFA’s work, including getting the adult dental benefit fully restored in MassHealth last year. (That was a 10-year battle — getting coverage tooth by tooth, as we sometimes say.) I started to mention how we just got this adult dental benefit fully restored, how it now covers root canals and crowns. This person on the board call was like, “Really?x That happened? That’s amazing! I had to go get this procedure, and they instead ended up having to pull the tooth. It was terrible!”
I almost never get that kind of response to policy changes. I just think it’s something so tangible, and it really hits home. Oral health is just such a huge deal for people, and I think that impact gets lost sometimes.
Dr. Scott Howell on Why Teledentistry Isn’t a Fad
Scott Howell, DMD, MPH, is an associate professor and director of public health dentistry and teledentistry at A. T. Still University-Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH). Dr. Howell explained common teledentistry misconceptions.
What are one or two misconceptions providers have about teledentistry?
One of the misconceptions is that teledentistry is a fad, and another is that it is only for low-income communities. Teledentistry has been around since the mid-1990s, and telemedicine has been around since the early 1900s.
I think it’s also important to recognize that any provider in any clinic can use it for any patient. The numerous ways we can use technology isn’t limited to just those living in poverty or to just those with smartphones. A thorough assessment of the clinic’s needs and the patient population’s needs will provide answers to how teledentistry could benefit a particular community. The patients I work with don’t benefit from teledentistry because they are low-income or high-income; they benefit from teledentistry because we recognized an important need for the patients in our clinic and in our communities.