October 2006

Connecticut leaders in oral health were prominent participants in the day-long program. Ardell Wilson, Oral Health Director, Connecticut Department of Public Health, outlined recent state initiatives and legislation designed to improve access to care. Dr.Wilson participated in a panel discussion along with other heads of oral health programs in New England. She stressed the need for all constituencies to “sit down at the table together” in order to bring about change in legislation governing oral health care.

Rep. Kevin Ryan, Norwich, CT, Dr. Joanna Douglass, Connecticut Health Foundation, and Robin Knowles, Tunxis Community College were panelists in a workgroup addressing prevention interventions. Others playing a key role in the conference were Dr. Margaret Ann Smith, Generations Family Health Center, who participated as a panelist in a workshop on Oral Health Assessments and Dr. Howard Mark, President of Connecticut Oral Health Initiative (COHI), who was a panelist in a workshop addressing the critical issue of improving access to oral health.

Also participating in the conference were: Marty Milkovic, Executive Director of COHI, and key leaders from the Connecticut State Dental Association and the Connecticut Dental Hygiene Association as well as representatives from Eastern AHEC and the Willimantic Housing Authority.

Marcia Brand, PhD, Director of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, delivered the keynote address. She acknowledged the importance of this regional conference – a first for the New England states - and encouraged attendees to try innovative approaches to overcome rural health access disparities. Dr. Brand’s message that “oral health is an integral part of total health” resonated with her audience of professionals dedicated to providing oral health services to their communities. She cited deficiencies in U.S. oral health care, which she said constituted not only a health concern but an economic issue, as adults lose time from work and children miss school because of untreated dental problems. Rural populations face additional barriers to care:

• Geographic isolation
• Transportation issues
• Shortage of dental care providers
• Financial challenges (in general, rural America is older and poorer than the national average.)

Dr. Brand outlined some of the ways the Office of Rural Health Policy is working to address these issues. She urged conferees to write proposals for Outreach Grants, saying that 10 out of 100 such grants currently have a dental focus.

Although conference attendees were well aware that dentists are in short supply, based on experiences in their own constituencies, Dr. Chester Douglass, Harvard School of Dental Medicine and School of Public Health, presented alarming statistics that hammered home this point. The number of dental school graduates is declining markedly, many practitioners are nearing retirement age, and this trend impacts oral health in rural New England. (Dr. Douglass’ slides are now posted on the NE Rural Health RoundTable web site at: www.newenglandruralhealth.org)

Sponsors of the Conference were Northeast Delta Dental, Dental Services of Massachusetts, Tom’s of Maine, and the NH Office of Rural Health & Primary Care.

About Connecticut Oral Health Initiative

The Connecticut Oral Health Initiative, or COHI for short, is a state-wide collaborative of dental professionals, business and community leaders. Our Mission is Oral Health Care for All. We work to persuade, educate and inform decision makers and the general public about the important issues involving oral health. We started in 1992 as a project of the Connecticut State Dental Association and incorporated as a separate 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation in 2003. We are supported by your tax-deductible contribution and grants from progressive foundations and businesses.