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When Raydiance Swanston heard about the Community Oral Health Transformation (COrHT) program launching in North Carolina, she knew it was something Mecklenburg County Pediatric Clinic had to join.

As we approach another COVID-19 winter in the United States, the health care industry is bracing itself for the possibility of another wave of infections. In preparation, in late September, the CDC issued new infection prevention and control updates, providing guidance around topics including testing, exposure, and universal personal protective equipment (PPE).

By Kelly Schroeder, RDH, MS Who is the true expert when it comes to a patient’s oral health?

There’s obviously no one solution, no silver bullet, to creating an equitable oral health system. But for Madeline Steward, MPH, a program officer at the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS), there’s one element that’s critical to the effort: trust.

It all began with an audacious aim and an audacious number. “This project started from a bold idea that we could reach millions of Americans who may not have access to a dentist by enlisting the greater health care workforce as partners in oral health,” said Shenam Ticku, BDS, MPH, instructor in Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology at Harvard School of Dental Medicine. “Our Champions can train their peers and create more advocates for oral health.”

Racism is a public health epidemic. Across the US, there are barriers to care that have blocked people of color from receiving adequate health care for years. Lack of economic opportunity, lack of access to insurance, lack of affordable care, lack of representation in the medical field, implicit bias, and stereotyping are only a few examples of barriers that we have to work to break down.

Dental therapy is growing. Similar to physician assistants in medicine, dental therapists can work in various settings — from the dental office to the community — and provide various services, including filling cavities, placing temporary crowns, and extracting teeth under some circumstances. Communities throughout the US that struggle with dental workforce shortages or providing access to care outside of the traditional office setting have identified the occupation as an effective way to increase access for patients.

Patrick Smith, DMD, MPH, recalls the experience like it was yesterday.

This week, CareQuest Institute for Oral Health released the Medicaid Adult Dental Coverage Checker in partnership with the American Dental Association (ADA) Health Policy Institute, the Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc., and the National Academy for State Health Policy.  The Checker provides a snapshot of a state’s Medicaid adult dental benefits, allowing individuals to better understand the details of their state’s offerings and identify potential areas for improvement.

By Caroline McLeod, RDH, MS, and Marybeth Shaffer, DMD