|
|
|
|
AAPHD National Office
|
|
3085 Stevenson Drive #200
Springfield, IL 62703
Send contributions and announcements for Communique by the first Friday of each month to:
Becky DeSpain Eden
Newsletter Editor
|
|
Future Meetings
|
October 25-29, 2008
San Diego, CA
Hispanic Dental Association
November 13-15, 2008
Carefree, AZ
American Dental Education Assn
March 14-18, 2009
Phoenix, AZ
Special Care Dentistry
April 17-19, 2009
Baltimore, MD | |
|
President's Message
Mark H.K. Greer, DMD, MPH 
We in Dental Public Health have reached a critical juncture in our history; and, in many respects, our future is uncertain. We have all been aware and concerned over the long-time-coming slow erosion of the nation's dental health workforce, with the number of (new) dental care worker training graduates being out-paced by the combined effects of population growth and dental care worker retirement. Other components of the 'perfect storm' upon us include the cost of college and graduate school, which puts (dental) education out of reach for many/most in our communities and heavily influences the career paths and business practices of new dental graduates and a lack of state and federal commitments to support professional and post-graduate dental education programs and substantive dental disease control and prevention programming. We have been very much aware of the impact of this 'perfect-storm' has had on the prevalence rates of dental disease and marked oral health disparities faced by many in our communities, particularly among low income families, persons with disabilities and individuals dependent upon Medicaid and Medicare for health care assistance. Less apparent has been the impact it has had on the dental public health infrastructure and workforce.
With the nation's emerging dental workforce shortfall, the future of "Dental Public Health" as a discipline and dental specialty is being challenged. With the aging of the dental community nationally, we are losing both our elder statesmen and dental public educators to retirement and dental public health professionals are either not being replaced or are being replaced with personnel who are often under qualified for the challenges at hand. We are having difficulty attracting post-graduates into public health degree programs and Dental Public Health Residencies and, subsequently, on to life-long dental public health career paths. As we work collectively on the development and implementation of alternative training programs, workforce models and dental care delivery systems aimed at addressing critical access to care issues, we need to keep in mind that 'dentists who work in a community health setting' are, in most cases, not Dental Public Health Specialists. The maintenance and strengthening of the Specialty are major concerns of the Association, its officers and executive council members. With that, among the highest priorities of the Association is the recruitment for tomorrow's dental public health specialists and future leaders and our work to expand training opportunities that meet the high specialist training standards; standards maintained to help assure a future with a highly skilled and diverse Dental Public Health workforce. While we continue to work with our many partners on the evolving complexion of the nation's dental care workforce overall, we must remain vigilant and advocate for ourselves in order to assure that the future of "Dental Public Health" workforce is secured. This requires that we invest in the future and work towards the expansion of dental public health curricula in undergraduate dental and dental hygiene school programs, the expansion of dual degree opportunities between dental and dental hygiene schools and schools of public health, the expansion of the availability of, and access to, dental public health residencies and the development of new models for training and certification of Dental Public Health Specialists that take into consideration our evolving profession. | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Association in Action
2009 NOHC Program Submissions Deadline Extended to October 3.The Planning Committee for the 2009 National Oral Health Conference (NOHC) invites plenary and concurrent workshop proposals addressing scientific research, program evaluation, community-based interventions and partnerships related to dental public health.
It has been five years since A National Call to Action to Promote Oral Health: A Public-Private Partnership Under the Leadership of The Office of the Surgeon General was released at the 2003 National Oral Health Conference. The opening day of the 2009 NOHC will focus on the current status of the response to the Call to Action. Submissions demonstrating programs or responses around one of the five action steps in the Call to Action are requested. These actions include: Change perceptions of oral health; Overcome barriers by replicating effective programs and proven efforts; Build the science base and accelerate science transfer; Increase oral health workforce diversity, capacity and flexibility; and Increase collaborations.
The Committee also requests proposals reflecting a general "pursuit of excellence in dental public health. The program session abstract can be found on the NOHC website. Please indicate your preference for a plenary or concurrent session; however, the final decision on program format will be made by the Planning Committee. Submit your proposal no later than October 3, 2008. Any questions may be directed to Pam Tolson at natoff@aaphd.org.
Website Undergoing Changes - JPHD On-line Connection Restored. Earlier this summer, AAPHD lost its connection to the on-line JPHD pages provided by our publisher Wiley-Blackwell. This was due to a migration by Wiley-Blackwell to a new platform as part of the restructuring of the company under new ownership. As a result, AAPHD also had to reprogram its platform in order to be compatible, which took longer than expected due to a change in webmasters. However, the connection is now live and all members should be able to access the site. Call the National Office if you have any problems, 217-529-6941.
The Website will be undergoing a transformation to a new system over the next few months with the tentative date for premier in December. Members will continue to see the current site until that time. Please send any ideas or suggestions for additions to the site to natoff@aaphd.org.
DUES Statements to Arrive in Late September. Members will soon receive the annual dues notices that come due October 1. Members will be able to renew on-line and update their data directly. AAPHD currently has a fiscal year of October 1 - September 30. Thank you for your continued support!
AAPHD Foundation Update - Herschel S. Horowitz Scholarship Deadline Pending. October 31 is the deadline for applications for the 2009-2010 Horowitz Scholarship. The application can be found on the AAPHD Foundation website. The $25,000 scholarship to support dentists pursuing dental public health graduate education is made possible through donations to the AAPHD Foundation and contributions from the family of Dr. Herschel S. Horowitz. The most recent scholarship winner, Patrick Rowe, has just enrolled for his first quarter classes at UCLA.
Members will be able to make contributions to the Foundation on-line at the same time dues are paid.
The Foundation Committee is currently establishing guidelines prior to announcing its request for grant applications. Watch for more information soon.
AAPHD Volunteers Busy this Summer. The Executive Council wants to recognize the efforts of members who volunteered to attend meetings in the past few months, assuring that AAPHD input was added to a number of discussions. Please thank these individuals:
Nicholas G. Mosca, DDS, Director, Office of Oral Health, Mississippi State Department of Health
CDC Low Fluoride Toothpaste Review Meeting
Justine Kolker, DDS, MS, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Iowa
ADA Caries Classification Conference
Steven M. Levy, DDS, MPH
Graduate Program Director, Dental Public Health, Professor, Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa
ADA Fluoride Supplement Guidelines Panel
Gary Rozier, DDS, MPH, Professor, University of North Carolina
ADA Fluoride Supplement Guidelines Panel
Executive Council to Meet during ADA. In October, the EC will hold its midyear meeting during the ADA Annual Meeting in San Antonio. Besides conducting AAPHD business, members of the EC will also: meet with the ADA leadership; provide testimony to the ADA Reference Committees; and, present an educational session. On Saturday, October 18 at 2:00 pm, Mark Greer, President, will moderate an educational session entitled "Fluoride Strategies: Risk Based Prevention across the Generations." The program will be presented by Judith Jones and John Warren. We hope you will join us at ADA! |
|
News Bytes
Oral Health America Announces New President and CEO
The Board of Directors Oral Health America announced the appointment of Beth Truett as President and CEO. Truett comes to the position with significant corporate and non-profit leadership experience, including over twenty years as a business executive in marketing and sales, and most recently, as the Executive Director of Chicago Lights, a community services organization that annually serves thousands of Chicagoans who face the challenges of aging, poverty, access to education and healthcare.
Truett has a BS in Food & Nutrition from Valparaiso University, a Masters degree in Divinity from McCormick Seminary in Chicago and holds a Certificate in Fundraising Management from Indiana University School of Philanthropy. She is a member of the Association of Funding Professionals and the Corporate Responsibility Group. She is one of 100 women inducted in 1997 into Leadership America, an international organization recognizing women for career and volunteer leadership. She is a member of the Board of Directors for Voices for Illinois Children and has served in multiple volunteer capacities for organizations in Chicago and her home town of Oak Park, IL.
CDC Awards State Grants to Strengthen Oral Health Programs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced that 16 states will receive a total of $4.6 million over the next year and approximately $22 million over the next five years to improve the oral health of their residents. The states receiving awards are Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Wisconsin. The new cooperative agreements range from $234,408 to $355,000 per year and are renewable for up to five years. The funding is designed to improve basic state oral health services including program leadership and staff support, monitoring oral disease risk factors, and developing and evaluating disease prevention programs such as community water fluoridation and school-based sealant programs.
CDC worked with ASTDD, state oral health programs and national experts to establish eight essential components for developing and enhancing the infrastructure and capacity of state-based oral health programs. The grants provide states additional opportunity to educate their residents on the importance of oral health, establish oral health coalitions and other partnerships, develop state plans to improve oral health and monitor whether their states' oral health objectives are being met. As a result, these states will be able to increase policies and programs supporting the prevention of oral diseases. |
Mouden Recognized by UMKC as Dental Alumnus of the Year
 In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, 17 outstanding alumni were recognized for distinguished accomplishments in his or her profession and for outstanding community service at a banquet on April 17. One alumnus was chosen from each of the University's 12 academic units to be. Lynn Mouden, State Dental Director of Arkansas, was the honoree from the School of Dentistry. The photo at the left shows Mouden with Michelle LaPointe (at right), Alumni Association Governing Board. The original bronze statuette is a kangaroo, the UMKC mascot.
Mouden received his DDS, with distinction, in 1975, and the MPH from the University of North Carolina in 1994. In 1992, he helped found PANDA (Prevent Abuse and Neglect through Dental Awareness). The program trains health professionals and others to recognize family violence and to work with social services professionals to assure appropriate interventions. Previously, Mouden has been honored by the Missouri Dental Association, the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors and in 2003 was named as Arkansas Employee of the Month by Governor Mike Huckabee. Mouden also serves as the spokesperson on family violence for the ADA.
UCSF Names FeatherstoneDean of the School of Dentistry
John Featherstone, who has been serving as the interim dean for the UCSF School of Dentistry has been appointed as Dean. He has been on the UCSF faculty for 13 years serving as chair of the Department of Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences and recognized as the Leland and Gladys Barber Distinguished Professor of Dentistry. Featherstone earned his MSc from the University of Manchester (UK) and a PhD in chemistry from the University of Wellington (New Zealand). He has been principal investigator on major research grants funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. He has also received numerous awards including the 2003 Yngve Ericsson Prize for research in preventive dentistry, the 2006 IADR Distinguished Scientist Award for research in dental caries, the 2002 T. H. Maiman Award for excellence in dental laser research from the Academy of Laser Dentistry and the 2007 Norton Ross Award for excellence in clinical research from the ADA.
Ismail to Lead School of Dentistry at Temple
Amid I. Ismail has been named dean of the Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry at Temple University effective October 13, 2008. Presently, he is professor of health services research and cariology at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and professor of epidemiology and director of the program in dental public health at the School of Public Health. Ismail chairs the ADA Curriculum Development Committee of the Community Dental Health Coordinator program, co-chairs the Coordinating Committee of the International Caries Detection and Assessment System and formerly chaired the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs and the AADR National Affairs Committee. He has led two initiatives funded by the NIH, the five-year Detroit Oral Cancer Prevention Project and the seven-year Detroit Center for Research on Oral Health Disparities. He was also the principal investigator of an NIH grant to study a web-based resource on evidence-based dentistry. Ismail received a BDS from the University of Baghdad and earned an MPH, DrPH MBA from the University of Michigan. |
|
Dental Public Health Issues In Print
Treating Underserved Dental Patients While Staying Afloat
While poor reimbursement and bureaucratic hurdles in the publically funded Denti-Cal program make caring for underserved patients a challenge, some dentists and clinics have found ways to make it work. A new package of materials from California Health Care Foundation offers practical tools for dentists and clinics considering expanding their practice for the underserved. The first, The Good Practice: Treating Underserved Dental Patients While Staying Afloat, highlights practical steps dental practices can take to boost their operational efficiency. A companion audio report provides a firsthand look at the challenges and rewards of treating uninsured. Another report, Expanding Access to Dental Care through California's Community Health Centers, focuses on the role of federally qualified health centers, an essential component of the dental safety net. It explores existing barriers to establishing and expanding dental services and offers recommendations to improve productivity and add services. Click here to view the reports.
AAP Releases Supplement on Inflammation and Overall Health
Biomedical research has focused for the past several years on the role chronic inflammation may play in various diseases, including periodontal disease. To advance the understanding of inflammation, the American Academy of Periodontology brought together over eighty leading experts in the fields of dentistry, clinical medicine and basic science in January 2008 in Boston titled, "Inflammation and Periodontal Diseases: A Reappraisal." Workshop proceedings were published in a special supplement to the August issue of the Journal of Periodontology. The supplement focuses on topics including the genetic and environmental factors that regulate inflammation, why inflammation is different among different individuals and the role of inflammation in diseases such as periodontal disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular disease. In addition, members of the workshop planning committee will present the published findings at the October ADA Annual Session in San Antonio.
Dental Researcher Finds Link between Pregnancy and Tooth Loss
The old wives' tale "for every child the mother loses a tooth" has some validity, a New York University dental professor has found. Women who have more children are more likely to have missing teeth, according to a nationwide study of 2,635 women by Stefanie Russell, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Health Promotion, which appeared in the July American Journal of Public Health. Russell's conclusions are based on information on white and black non-Hispanic women ages 18-64 who reported at least one pregnancy in the NHANES III. Profound biological and behavioral changes related to pregnancy and childbirth are likely to be factors. For example:
- Pregnancy can make women prone to gingivitis. Repeated pregnancies are likely to result in more frequent outbreaks of gingivitis that may lead to tooth loss in women with periodontitis.
- A woman may postpone seeking dental treatment because of financial concerns related to having children.
- Caring for more children may lead a mother to cut back on the time she devotes to her own oral health.
These findings highlight the importance of access to good oral health care during pregnancy.
New Resources from OHRC
The National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC) has announced the availability of several new resources, all available online:
Access to Oral Health Care during the Perinatal Period: A Policy Brief
Oral Health Care during Pregnancy: A Summary of Practice Guidelines. This document summarizes the New York State Department of Health's publication, Oral Health Care during Pregnancy and Early Childhood: Practice Guidelines, which are intended to improve the standard of care for pregnant women. A copy of the complete practice guidelines is available online.
Two Healthy Smiles: Tips to Keep You and Your Baby Healthy
Oral Health Resource Bulletin: Volume XX
Single or multiple print copies are available at no charge from the HRSA Information Center, by phone: 888- 275-4772, fax: (703) 821-2098 or email.
September Literature Search
Adler, Rehkopf. U.S. disparities in health: Descriptions, causes, and mechanisms. Annu Rev Public Health 2008; 29:235-252. Abstract.
Alaki, Burt, Garetz. Middle ear and respiratory infections in early childhood and their association with early childhood caries. Pediatr Dent 2008; 30:105-110. Abstract.
Artnik, Premik, Zaletel-Kragelj. Population groups at high risk for poor oral self care: The basis for oral health promotion. Int J Public Health 2008; 53:195-203. Abstract.
Banta, de Wit. Public health services and cost-effectiveness analysis. Annu Rev Public Health 2008; 29:383-397. Abstract.
Barnett. Oral health promotion by the oral health products industry: Unrecognised and unappreciated? Community Dent Health 2008; 25:2-3. Abstract.
Brickhouse, Rozier, Slade. Effects of enrollment in Medicaid versus the State Children's Health Insurance Program on kindergarten children's untreated dental caries. Am J Public Health 2008; 98:876-881. Abstract.
Clarkson, Turner, Grimshaw, et al. Changing clinicians' behavior: A randomized controlled trial of fees and education. J Dent Res 2008; 87:640-644. Abstract.
Cohen, Bonito, Akin, et al. Toothache pain: A comparison of visits to physicians, emergency departments and dentists. J Am Dent Assoc 2008; 139:1205-1216. Abstract.
Cristina, Spagnolo, Sartini, et al. Evaluation of the risk of infection through exposure to aerosols and spatters in dentistry. Am J Infect Control 2008; 36:304-307. Abstract.
Flores, Tomany-Korman. The language spoken at home and disparities in medical and dental health, access to care, and use of services in US children. Pediatrics 2008; 121:e1703-e1714. Abstract.
Greenberg, Kumar, Stevenson. Dental case management: Increasing access to oral health care for families and children with low incomes. J Am Dent Assoc 2008; 139:1114-1121. Abstract.
Hannes, , Norre, Goedhuys, et al. Obstacles to implementing evidence-based dentistry: A focus group-based study. J Dent Educ 2008; 72:736-744. Abstract.
Hevinga, Opdam, Frencken, et al. Can caries fissures be sealed as adequately as sound fissures? J Dent Res 2008; 87:495-498. Abstract.
Leake, Birch. Public policy and the market for dental services. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2008; 36:287-295. Abstract.
Mars, Ling. Meanings & motives experts debating tobacco addiction. Am J Public Health 2008; 98:1793-1802. Abstract.
Muller, Hansel, Stehr, et al. A state-wide survey of medical emergency management in dental practices: Incidence of emergencies and training experience. Emerg Med J 2008; 25:296-300. Abstract.
Pessan, Silva, Lauris, et al. Fluoride uptake by plaque from water and from dentifrice. J Dent Res 2008; 87:461-465.Abstract.
Psoter, Park, Boylan, et al. National emergency response programs for dental health care professionals. J Am Dent Assoc 2008; 139:1067-1073. Abstract.
Ruger. Ethics in American health 1: Ethical approaches to health policy. Am J Public Health 2008; 98:1751-1756. Abstract.
Ruger. Ethics in American health 2: An ethical framework for health system reform. Am J Public Health 2008; 98:1756-1763. Abstract.
Sauro, Mannocci, Piemontese, Mongiorgi. In situ enamel morphology evaluation after acidic soft drink consumption: Protection factor of contemporary toothpaste. Int J Dent Hyg 2008; 6:188-192. Abstract.
Spencer, Armfield, Slade. Exposure to water fluoridation and caries increment. Community Dent Health 2008; 25:12-22. Abstract. Williams, Demko, Lalumandier, Wotman. Caring for African-American patients in private practice: Disparities and similarities in dental procedures and communication. J Am Dent Assoc 2008; 139:1218-1226. Abstract. |
Announcements
ECC Research Proposals Requested by ADA
The ADA Foundation announces its 2009 Request for Proposals in the area of Early Childhood Caries Research (ECC). Proposals of up to $125,000 will be considered and applications are due on February 26, 2009. Researchers from non-profit organizations or institutions are encouraged to apply who wish to address the grant objectives of carrying out investigations to enhance the understanding of the etiology and pathophysiology of ECC or evaluating new interventions that reduce the incidence and severity of ECC at the individual or population level. Priority consideration will be given to proposals that focus on high-risk populations and/or medically underserved communities. Please download the grant summary form, directions for application and other important information from the ADA Foundation website at www.adafoundation.org. | |
