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Significant Disparities in Caries Rates
The overall number of children reaching age five without a cavity is increasing. Yet despite this progress significant racial and economic disparities persist and in some cases appear to be worsening. The recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) shows that approximately 77% of children are reaching age five without a cavity - an improvement of 9% since 2008. However, the report also found untreated tooth decay in primary teeth among children aged 2-8 was twice as high for Hispanic and non-Hispanic black children compared with non-Hispanic white children. Among those aged 6-11, 27% of Hispanic children had dental caries in permanent teeth compared with nearly 18% of non-Hispanic white and Asian children.
For Virginia-specific data, The Atlas of Community Health is a resource for stakeholders to access population health data related to chronic disease and overall health and wellness, as well as specific oral health data. The Atlas is hosting a series of webinars to explain the tool. Click the homepage link above to view information regarding the webinars and to access regional and statewide data.
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Emergency Room Visits for Dental Problems on the Rise
 "What started as a toothache from a lost filling became a raging infection that landed Christopher Smith in the emergency room, then in intensive care on a ventilator and feeding tube"
Smith is one of an increasing amount of patients who utilize the emergency room for their dental care needs, despite the fact that emergency rooms are not able to provide dental treatment. The most recent federal data by the American Dental Association indicates that dental emergency room visits doubled from 1.1 million in 2000 to 2.2 million in 2012, essentially one visit every 15 seconds. A recent article in USA Today highlights the problem.
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Do You Wonder What an ACC is? Or How Your Organization Can Partner to Improve The Health of Your Community? Read On!
You may recall the Virginia Center for Health Innovation received a one-year, $2.6 million State Innovation Model (SIM) planning grant from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to support efforts to meet the triple aim in Virginia. A core strategy of the grant is to create multiple Accountable Care Communities (ACCs) across Virginia. To answer questions about participation and next steps, check out this FAQ document created to provide additional guidance for regional partners working on the ACC development.
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Change the Tune!
 Remember the 1971 Coca Cola ad where singers are on a hillside, expressing their wish to "buy the world a coke"? Now its time to change the tune! The Center for Science in the Public Interest reworked the ad, with people who have real soda related health problems such as diabetes, tooth decay and weight gain. Now, "I'd like to buy the world a drink that doesn't cause disease" is one of the lyrics in the new video.
On a similar note, read this parody featuring a polar bear family and the effects of sugar on their health.
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Of Interest
Adult Dental Benefits in Medicaid
Virginia is one of seven states profiled for  advancements in dental benefits for adults enrolled in Medicaid in a white paper published by the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP).
Read more about the pregnant women dental benefit.
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Oral Health and Overall Health
Oral health and overall health are fundamentally intertwined. The following links present current information on how oral health is connected to overall health and well-being.
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Children's Oral Health Book List
 The Maryland Dental Action Coalition, in collaboration with the University of Maryland, Baltimore Health Sciences and Human Services Library, has created a recommended oral health book list for children. The book list serves to increase access of oral health information to children and families.
View this page to learn about the oral health books selected, and click here to view the list in it's entirety.
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Please visit our website for more oral health information
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