man Elementary Schools. School nurses communicate with KCU dental providers to provide oral health care as needed. KCU’s Oral Health Center also will see students without a dental home to have their oral health needs met.
• ODH is distributing 10,000 “Brushing for Two” dental kits for new moms to provide preventive measures to decrease dental decay upstream.
• ODH is partnering with high schools in Pike/ Lincoln and St. Charles Counties to offer dental assistant training, which should begin this fall.
• ODH completed the Community Water Fluoridation Plan.
DENTAL WORKFORCE EFFORTS
• ODH, in partnership with the MDA, is con- ducting a pilot study for establishing Oral Pre- ventive Assistant Expanded Functions Dental Assistant (OPA EFDA). The pilot has selected nine sites, which are collecting control data until the program receives a waiver for OPA EFDAs to practice in the pilot sites. OPA EFDA candidates are finishing their training.
• ODH also has a project using teledentistry as a method for dentists to supervise hygienists and assistants in nursing homes and other underserved, high-risk populations including veterans. Contractors have started delivering care to nursing home residents. ODH’s hope is that other states and perhaps countries can replicate the project protocols which would expand care opportunities for nursing homes and other populations across the globe.
• ODH is updating the Missouri Oral Health Plan for 2025-2030.
FUTURE PLANS
• ODH is working with partners to explore opportunities and funding needs to expand the hygienist workforce through new training opportunities in Dexter and Rolla.
• ODH is working with the St. Louis commu- nity to schedule a pop-up dental clinic with potential expansion to underserved areas using dental vans.
• ODH is partnering with the Missouri Dental Board to conduct a workforce survey.
We welcome your comments and suggestions about our programs and initiatives. You can find resources and learn more at health.
mo.gov/living/families/oralhealth, or contact Dr. Miller or Dr. Barton for questions. Call 573- 751-5874 or email
jacqueline.miller@health.
mo.gov or
drue.barton@
health.mo.gov.
MCOH Hosts Policy Conference, Names Oral Health Champions
T
he Missouri Coalition for Oral Health had its annual policy conference March 7-8 in Jefferson City. Among various speakers and presentations, the annual Oral Health Champion Awards are given, selected by the Board upon recommenda-
tion of the Conference Committee. Nominations are based on significant state-level work on oral health policy and contributing to improving Missouri’s oral health or con- tributing to making oral health and oral health policy a priority for policymakers and the Missouri public. This year’s winners are highlighted below.
Amanda Fahrendorf is the Education and Collaboration Manager located in the Depart- ment of Social Services (DSS), MO HealthNet Division (MHD), Education and Training Unit. She provides training and interpretation of MHD policy, program limitations and benefits, and proper billing procedures and oversees the MHD Education and Training resources for all programs. She serves on several committees and workgroups related to Maternal and Infant Health initiatives, provider recruitment, and access to care. Amanda received this award for her dedicated partnership with MCOH and MDA to increase dental provider enrollment with MO HealthNet. Amanda’s collaboration has helped de- bunk myths about MO Medicaid and better understand MO HealthNet Dental Policies. Her dedication to Missouri dental providers is widely recognized.
Roger Sullivan has worked in the water and wastewater industry for the last 30+ years. He has a Class A water certificate, a Class B wastewater certificate, and a DS III Distri- bution certificate. He received this award for his work throughout Missouri to support community water fluoridation (CWF). He has spoken in support of CWF to city councils and provided support for local efforts to continue CWF and to initiate the practice. He speaks from experience as a rural community water operator with many years of experi- ence, and his perspective as a rural water operator is uniquely well-suited to assist local communities to make the right decisions related to CWF. His rural background helps him in working with and connecting to rural communities that are often the target of misinformation and conspiracy theories from people outside of the state.
The Office of Dental Health (ODH), is within the Department of Health & Senior Ser- vices, Division of Community & Public Health. The ODH team is committed to improv- ing the oral health of all Missourians through several public health programs that focus on strategies of education and promotion of oral health. These include surveillance and assessment, oral health education for all ages, advancement of CWF, operation of a community-based decay-preventive program for children, promotion of dental sealants, and development of programs to ease the burden of dental workforce shortages. The ODH works with many community partners to best serve the needs of all Missourians. The ODH receives this award for the variety of projects they are involved in and their continued efforts to increase quality of care, increase access to care and planning.
Learn about the Policy Conference at
oralhealthmissouri.org/2024-conference-information-and-agenda. ISSUE 1 | SPRING 2024 | focus 15
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32
