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| March/April 2011 | Vol 2, Issue 2 |
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On February 15 & 22, 2011 the Office of Oral Health partnered with Child Development and Education, Inc. to provide 2 oral health trainings for home-based child care providers that centered around the recent Massachusetts regulation that now requires licensees to assist each child with brushing their teeth if the child is in their care for 4 or more hours, or if the child consumes a meal while in their care. |
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Boston Public Health Commission
Office of Oral Health
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Dear Friends,
Welcome to the March/April edition of the Office of Oral Health newsletter! We are happy to announce that this is our fourth issue of the newsletter. Thank you all for your continued support in the improvement of Boston's oral health!
"Kick Butts" Day and National Cancer Control Month!
 In honor of March 24th's "Kick Butts" Day and April's National Cancer Control Month, the Office of Oral Health would like to provide some interesting and useful resources for smoking cessation and oral cancer awareness.
Smoking greatly increases one's risk for oral cancer and the Office of Oral Health is working in collaboration with the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, Northeastern University, and JSI to implement QuitWorks (The Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program) at dental clinics in 10-14 Community Health Centers throughout Boston. Our goal is to successfully implement tobacco screenings and brief interventions by oral health providers to discourage tobacco use and facilitate smoking cessation. We are excited to report that training for 'Addressing Tobacco Use in Oral Health Care Settings' took place on March 4, 8, and 9th, 2011!
What Happens on "Kick Butts" Day?
"Kick Butts" Day is a national day of activism that empowers youth to speak up and take action against Big Tobacco at more than 1,000 events from coast to coast. As a parent, teacher, youth leader, or health advocate, you can organize these events and mobilize youth to raise awarenss about the problems of tobacco use in local schools and communities. As one of the leading causes of oral cancer, it is absolutely vital that we spread the news on the negative oral health effects of smoking. Join us today!
You're Invited to the Office of Oral Health's Spring Event: Family Wellness Fair & Saturday Open Gym!
The Office of Oral Health will be hosting a Family Wellness Fair & Saturday Open Gym on Saturday April 2nd from 10am-12pm at the Madison Park Community Center in Roxbury, MA. We are partnering with "Healthy Kids Healthy Futures", Child Development and Education, Inc., Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, and several Boston Public Health Commission programs to promote total body wellness, especially oral health! Oral health education and dental health screenings will be provided by students from Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine. Additional activities being offered include:
- Gymnasium with "get active" games and kid friendly activities
- Small fitness obstacle course
- Nutrition information and tips on smart snacking
- Bike helmets and kid safety information
- Mayor's Health Line representatives for help finding medical/dental insurance or providers
- Face painting for children
View the flyer in English and Spanish. This is a great family event to kick off spring wellness! We hope to see you there!
Call for Nominations for the 2011 Community Dental Health Student Awards
 The Oral Health Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA) is seeking nominations for The Anthony Westwater Jong Memorial Community Dental Health Pre-Professional Award and Post-Professional Award that recognizes an outstanding community-based research or service project of an oral health nature carried out by students in oral and/or public health. The student awards will be presented at the American Public Health Association 139th Annual Meeting and Exposition, October 29 - November 2, 2011 in Washington, DC. Nominate your student today!
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Community Spotlight | |
Oral Cancer in Boston
Written by:
Michelle A. Dempsey, DMD
Resident, Fenway Community Health Center
In my experience as a new dentist, one of the things that has surprised me is the reaction my patients have had to the routine oral cancer screenings I perform on each of them. After pulling their tongue out and looking throughout the entire head, neck and mouth without once poking at a tooth, my patients often ask, "what are you doing?", which leads me to believe they have never had a routine oral cancer exam. I try to educate my patients of the importance of routine oral cancer screenings and emphasize that they should always make sure their dentist is completing a thorough exam at each check-up. Although oral cancer is not as commonly publicized as breast, lung or prostate cancer, it is still responsible for over 35,000 diagnoses each year. When diagnosed early, oral cancer patients have an 80-90% survival rate. However, the majority of diagnoses are found as late stage cancers and statistically the death rate is 45% after 5 years.
To reduce the risk of oral cancer, it is important to know which factors increase your risk:
1 - Cigarette, cigar and pipe smoking
2 - Smokeless tobacco products including dip, snuff and
chewing tobacco
3 - Excessive alcohol consumption
4 - Persistent viral infections, such as HPV
5 - Excessive sun exposure, especially at a young age
It is also important to know what to look for in your body:
1 - Swellings, lumps, sore spots
2 - White, red or speckled (white and red) patches in the
mouth
3 - Unexplained bleeding, numbness or chronic sores
4 - Changes in the way your dentures fit, or how your teeth
come together (your bite).
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| Resources | |
Fun games to demonstrate how smoking stinks!
 Children (or adults!) who enjoy fun computer games can play the "Blast-A-Butt" game to destroy cigarettes flying through the air!
Upload your photo to see the ugly truth about the physical effects of smoking!
For free smoking cessation materials, please visit:
The Tobacco Education Clearinghouse Free Downloads Site.
Trying to quit smoking?
- QuitWorks is distributing free two-week supplies of nicotine patches! QuitWorks is a free evidence-based referral service that connects patients with phone-based counseling to help them stop smoking. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW today!
- The Boston Public Health Commission Tobacco Prevention and Control Program offers a full list of smoking cessation programs for Boston residents.
- The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute offers an 8 week, 8 session smoking cessation program. Each session is one hour of group counseling. Nicotine replacement (the patch or gum) is available with a physicians permission.
- The Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program (MTCP) can help smokers quit by providing eligible smokers with a free two-week supply of nicotine patches and telephone counseling services.
- Smoking Cessation and Tobacco provided by Smokers Helpline offers a free and confidential telephone-based quitline available to residents of MA, RI, and NH.
- The Veteran's Medical Center offers a Nicotine Replacement Therapy program. The patch, welbutrin, gum, nicotine inhaler and zyban are availble. Open to veterans only. Contact your doctor or call the Veteran's Medical Center to make an appointment.
Are you a landlord or tenant?
 The Massachusetts Department of Public Health Tobacco Control Program provides resources for landlords and tenants. These include how to implement a non-smoking policy and information on laws protecting people from second hand smoke.
For what to expect from an oral cancer exam, please visit: 
NIDCR- The Oral Cancer Exam.
What you need to know about Oral Cancer Brochure.
For free oral cancer materials, please visit:
The National Oral Health Information Clearinghouse.
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| Upcoming Events and Trainings | |
*Please email our office (oralhealth@bphc.org) if there is an event, training, or advocacy opportunity you would like us to post in this section!
Oral & Community Health Events and Trainings:
Boston Public Health Commission 'Basic Skills for Working with Smokers'
March 22 & 29, 2011
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA
Click here for details.
Massachusetts Public Health Dental Hygienist Continuing Education
March 27, 2011
Union Station, 125A Pleasant Street, Northampton, MA 01060
Click here for details.
Association for Community Health Improvement 2011 Conference
March 29-31, 2011
Hilton Hotel, Austin, TX
Click here for details.
27th Annual Oral Health & HIV Symposium
March 31, 2011
Boston Marriot Newton, Newton, MA
Click here for details.
Free Heart Disease Screening
April 7, 2011
Roxbury Community College Cafeteria, Boston, MA
Click here for details.
2011 American Association for Community Dental Programs Annual Symposium
April 10, 2011
Westin Convention Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Click here for details.
2011 National Oral Health Conference
April 11-13, 2011
Westin Convention Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Click here for details.
Health Care For All - For the People: A Celebration of Health Care Leaders
April 12, 2011
The Westin Copley Place, Boston, MA
Click here for details.
2011 Public Health Services & Systems Research Keeneland Conference
April 12-14, 2011
Hyatt Regency, Lexington, Kentucky.
Click here for details.
The Triple Aim: Optimizing Health Care Resources for the Good of a Population
April 14, 2011
Hyatt Harborside at Boston's Logan International Airport, Boston, MA
Click here for details.
American Public Health Association 2011 Midyear Meeting
June 23-25, 2011
Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers, Chicago, IL
Click here for details.
Medicaid/SCHIP Dental Association (MSDA): National Medicaid and CHIP Oral Health Symposium
June 27 - 28, 2011
Washington Marriott Wardman Park, Washington, D.C.
Click here for details.
American Public Health Association 2011 Annual Meeting & Exposition
October 29-November 2, 2011
Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC
Click here for details.
Cancer-Related Events in the Boston Area:
Boston Ministerial Alliance Health Fair Hosted by the Faith-based Cancer Disparities Network
April 11, 2011 (6-8pm)
Charles Street African Methodist Episcopal Church, Dorchester, MA
11th Annual Stowe Weekend of Hope
April 29-May 1, 2011
Stowe, VT
Click here for details.
Avon 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer
May 14-15, 2011
Boston, MA
Click here for details.
National Oral Cancer Events to Share with Friends and Family Outside of Boston:
Oral Cancer Walks
Click here for details.
Oral Cancer Screenings
Click here for details.
Oral Cancer Education Seminars
Click here for details.
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If you would like to get involved or have any updates to share, please email our office at oralhealth@bphc.org. Watch for our May/June newsletter! Best Regards,
Maria Mannara, Andrea Lam, and the Oral Health Team
BPHC Office of Oral Health |
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