2001
- Head Start Bureau/Maternal and Child Health Bureau agreement established
Background
In 1999, representatives from the Head Start Bureau (HSB), the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) met to discuss an oral health initiative that was being developed by HCFA and HRSA. HSB shared its concerns about the lack of dentists providing care to children enrolled in Medicaid and listened to HRSA express its concern that children from families with low incomes experience a disproportionate share of oral disease. After much discussion, it was decided that while the most pressing need was to obtain necessary treatment for children, a long-term strategy would be to prevent oral disease from occurring. This would require that all the federal partners, as well as Head Start staff and parents, work together to improve the oral health of young children.
The Head Start and Partners Oral Health Forum was held on September 16–17, 1999, in Alexandria, VA. The purpose of the forum was to convene representatives from HSB and other federal agencies, researchers, scientists, practitioners, parents, and advocates to discuss the latest research and evidence-based oral health practices and to develop strategies to implement these practices.
To respond to recommendations made at the Head Start and Partners Oral Health Forum and to build on the activities of the HRSA/HCFA oral health initiative, HSB and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) entered into a series of intra-agency agreements (IAAs) from 2001 to 2008. The purpose of the IAAs was to improve the oral health of children enrolled in Head Start and their families and to provide oral health expertise, training, and technical assistance to the Head Start community.
Impact
These IAAs funded numerous activities, including (1) convening a series of Head Start oral health professional regional, state, and territorial forums to develop strategic plans and implement selected activities; (2) establishing a cadre of regional Head Start oral health consultants to provide oral health consultation, training, and technical assistance to the federal regional office staff and the regional technical assistance network; (3) assessing and fostering relationships between state oral health programs, Medicaid programs, and state Head Start collaboration offices; (4) reviewing, developing, and disseminating Head Start oral health technical and programmatic information and materials; and (5) furthering the understanding of oral health care financing, the work force, and disparities to inform policy development and improve the oral health status of vulnerable populations.
Sources
Geurink K, Isman B. 2009. Head Start Oral Health Project: Evaluation Report, 2001–2008. New Bern, NC: Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors.
Head Start Bureau. 2001. Head Start and Partners Forum on Oral Health. Head Start Bulletin 71:1–43.
Louie R, Hopewell A. 2004. Head Start and Maternal and Child Health—Sharing Expertise to Improve the Oral Health of Children and Families: A Meeting Summary. Washington, DC: Health Systems Research.
Promoting Partnership to Improve the Oral Health of Head Start Children: A Public Health Approach [manuscript].
Working in Partnership: Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s Oral Health Programmatic Activities [manuscript].
- NIH Consensus Development Conference on Diagnosis and Management of Dental Caries Throughout Life
Background
This conference was convened to examine the state of dental caries research to help health professionals and the public make informed decisions about this issue. Experts in the field presented research findings to an independent consensus development panel. Topics covered included genetics; developmental, dietary, behavioral, and microbiological aspects of the disease; and the clinical implications of caries risk assessment and the diagnosis, prevention, and management of caries. Emerging technologies in caries diagnosis and disease management were also addressed.
Impact
As a result of the conference, a consensus statement was developed that addressed the following issues: (1) indicators of dental caries risk, (2) methods for primary prevention of caries initiation, (3) treatments for reversing or arresting the progression of early caries, (4) detection methods and risk assessment, and (5) research directions for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of caries.
Sources
Horowitz A, Selwitz RH, Kleinman DV, Ismail AI, Bader JD, eds. 2001. NIH Consensus Development Conference on Diagnosis and Management of Dental Caries Throughout Life, March 26-28, 2001. Journal of Dental Education 65(10):935-1184.
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. 2001. NIH Consensus Development Conference on Diagnosis and Management of Dental Caries Throughout Life. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
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