Understanding the Influence of State Policy Environment on Dental Service Availability, Access, and Oral Health in America's Underserved Communities

Understanding the Influence of State Policy Environment on Dental Service Availability, Access, and Oral Health in America's Underserved Communities PDF Author: Hannah L. Maxey
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Community dental services
Languages : en
Pages : 414

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Book Description
Oral health is crucial to overall health and a focus of the U.S. Health Center program, which provides preventive dental services in medically underserved communities. Dental hygiene is an oral health profession whose practice is focused on dental disease prevention and oral health promotion. Variations in the practice and regulation of dental hygiene has been demonstrated to influence access to dental care at a state level; restrictive policies are associated lower rates of access to care. Understanding whether and to what extent policy variations affect availability and access to dental care and the oral health of medically underserved communities served by grantees of the U.S. Health Center program is the focus of this study. This longitudinal study examines dental service utilization at 1,135 health center grantees that received community health center funding from 2004 to 2011. The Dental Hygiene Professional Practice Index (DHPPI) was used as an indicator of the state policy environment. The influence of grantee and state level characteristics are also considered. Mixed effects models were used to account for correlations introduced by the multiple hierarchical structure of the data. Key findings of this study demonstrate that state policy environment is a predictor of the availability and access to dental care and the oral health status of medically underserved communities that received care at a grantee of the U.S. Health Center program. Grantees located in states with highly restrictive policy environments were 73% less likely to deliver dental services and, those that do, provided care to 7% fewer patients than those grantees located in states with the most supportive policy environments. Population's served by grantees from the most restrictive states received less preventive care and had greater restorative and emergency dental care needs. State policy environment is a predictor of availability and access to dental care and the oral health status of medically underserved communities. This study has important implications for policy at the federal, state, and local levels. Findings demonstrate the need for policy and advocacy efforts at all levels, especially within states with restrictive policy environments.

Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations

Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309209463
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
Access to oral health care is essential to promoting and maintaining overall health and well-being, yet only half of the population visits a dentist each year. Poor and minority children are less likely to have access to oral health care than are their nonpoor and nonminority peers. Older adults, people who live in rural areas, and disabled individuals, uniformly confront access barriers, regardless of their financial resources. The consequences of these disparities in access to oral health care can lead to a number of conditions including malnutrition, childhood speech problems, infections, diabetes, heart disease, and premature births. Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations examines the scope and consequences of inadequate access to oral health services in the United States and recommends ways to combat the economic, structural, geographic, and cultural factors that prevent access to regular, quality care. The report suggests changing funding and reimbursement for dental care; expanding the oral health work force by training doctors, nurses, and other nondental professionals to recognize risk for oral diseases; and revamping regulatory, educational, and administrative practices. It also recommends changes to incorporate oral health care into overall health care. These recommendations support the creation of a diverse workforce that is competent, compensated, and authorized to serve vulnerable and underserved populations across the life cycle. The recommendations provided in Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations will help direct the efforts of federal, state, and local government agencies; policy makers; health professionals in all fields; private and public health organizations; licensing and accreditation bodies; educational institutions; health care researchers; and philanthropic and advocacy organizations.

The U.S. Oral Health Workforce in the Coming Decade

The U.S. Oral Health Workforce in the Coming Decade PDF Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309147948
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 183

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Book Description
Access to oral health services is a problem for all segments of the U.S. population, and especially problematic for vulnerable populations, such as rural and underserved populations. The many challenges to improving access to oral health services include the lack of coordination and integration among the oral health, public health, and medical health care systems; misaligned payment and education systems that focus on the treatment of dental disease rather than prevention; the lack of a robust evidence base for many dental procedures and workforce models; and regulatory barriers that prevent the exploration of alternative models of care. This volume, the summary of a three-day workshop, evaluates the sufficiency of the U.S. oral health workforce to consider three key questions: What is the current status of access to oral health services for the U.S. population? What workforce strategies hold promise to improve access to oral health services? How can policy makers, state and federal governments, and oral health care providers and practitioners improve the regulations and structure of the oral health care system to improve access to oral health services?

Oral Health

Oral Health PDF Author: United States. General Accounting Office
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Dental care
Languages : en
Pages : 88

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Book Description


Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations

Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations PDF Author: Committee on Oral Health Access to Services (U
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 279

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Book Description
"Access to oral health care is essential to promoting and maintaining overall health and well-being yet only half of the population visits a dentist each year. Poor and minority children are less likely to have access to oral health care than are their nonpoor and nonminority peers. Older adults, people who live in rural areas, and disabled individuals, uniformly confront access barriers, regardless of their financial resources. The consequences of these disparities in access to oral health care can lead to a number of conditions including malnutrition, childhood speech problems, infections, diabetes, heart disease, and premature births. Improving access to oral health care for vulnerable and underserved populations examines the scope and consequences of inadequate access to oral health services in the United States and recommends ways to combat the economic, structural, geographic, and cultural factors that prevent access to regular, quality care. The report suggests changing funding and reimbursement for dental care; expanding the oral health work force by training doctors, nurses, and other nondental professionals to recognize risk for oral diseases; and revamping regulatory, educational, and administrative practices. It also recommends changes to incorporate oral health care into overall health care. These recommendations support the creation of a diverse workforce that is competent, compensated, and authorized to serve vulnerable and underserved populations across the life cycle. The recommendations provided in Improving access to oral health care for vulnerable and underserved populations will help direct the efforts of federal, state, and local government agencies; policy makers; health professionals in all fields; private and public health organizations; licensing and accreditation bodies; educational institutions; health care researchers; and philanthropic and advocacy organizations."--Publisher's description.

Oral Health in America

Oral Health in America PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Health promotion
Languages : en
Pages : 338

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Book Description


Burt and Eklund’s Dentistry, Dental Practice, and the Community - E-Book

Burt and Eklund’s Dentistry, Dental Practice, and the Community - E-Book PDF Author: Amer Assoc of Public Health Dentistry
Publisher: Elsevier Health Sciences
ISBN: 0323554857
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 354

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Book Description
Learn about the challenges, current trends, and the positive role that you can play in improving the dental health of the community. Completely revised and updated by members of the American Association of Public Health Dentistry, Burt and Eklund's Dentistry, Dental Practice, and the Community, 7th Edition presents dentistry and dental practice against the ever-changing backdrop of economic, technological, and demographic trends, as well as the distribution of the oral diseases that dental professionals treat and prevent. Readers will learn the latest techniques of research and measurement, and how oral disease may be limited through control and prevention. This updated text also addresses the new educational competencies for predoctoral/ post-doctoral dental students and dental hygiene students with updated and new content on cultural competency, oral health literacy, social responsibility, motivational interviewing, and oral systemic associations. All in all, this text takes a comprehensive look at the social context of dental care and the difference you can make in improving the health of the community you serve. Logical four-part organization divides content into dentistry and the community; dental care delivery; methods and measurement of oral diseases and conditions; and health promotion and prevention of oral diseases. A focus on need-to-know content emphasizes the important core information while providing comprehensive coverage of dental public health. Comprehensive analysis of dentistry’s social and professional role examines issues such as epidemiology of oral diseases, prevention, and the provision of care. Evidence-based recommendations reflect the latest literature on today’s public health issues. Illustrations, tables, and graphics illustrate the key material and visually enhance discussions. NEW! Completely revised and updated content looks at populations oral health and dental care as well as how it fits into a changing world. NEW! Coverage of new educational competencies provides predoctoral/ post-doctoral dental students and dental hygiene students with updated and new content on cultural competency, oral health literacy, social responsibility, motivational interviewing, and oral systemic associations. NEW! New chapters cover the applications of epidemiology and biostatistics in dental public health, oral health as it related to quality of life, oral health education, health literacy, social determinants of health and health disparities, and delivery of oral healthcare in Canada. NEW! Newly revised competencies for the Dental Public Health specialty are incorporated throughout the book.

Dental Crisis in America

Dental Crisis in America PDF Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Dental care
Languages : en
Pages : 88

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Book Description


Oral Health

Oral Health PDF Author: United States. General Accounting Office
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Dental care
Languages : en
Pages : 50

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Oral health : factors contributing to low use of dental services by lowincome populations : report to congressional requesters

Oral health : factors contributing to low use of dental services by lowincome populations : report to congressional requesters PDF Author:
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1428972447
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 46

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Book Description