2021
- Consortium for Oral Health Systems Integration and Improvement established
The Consortium for Oral Health Systems Integration and Improvement (COHSII) was a 3-year cooperative agreement (2021–2024) funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), Health Resources and Services Administration. The consortium’s purpose was to enhance access to integrated preventive oral health care for the maternal and child health (MCH) population, particularly in safety net sites, by providing high-quality oral health technical assistance (TA), training, and resources.
Led by the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center, in partnership with the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors and the Dental Quality Alliance, the consortium provided TA to health professionals working in or with Title V (MCH) programs.
COHSII addressed the following goals:- Identifying gaps and barriers: Improve the integration of preventive oral health care into primary care, particularly in MCH safety net sites, by developing the MCH Oral Health Integration Capacity Inventory and convening state Title V (MCH) programs to validate the inventory via a learning-collaborative (LC) approach.
- Improving MCH systems of care: Increase access to preventive oral health care, particularly in MCH safety net sites, by providing TA to MCHB-funded oral health projects and state Title V (MCH) programs via LCs and by providing general TA and education to professionals working in or with Title V (MCH) programs.
- Translating evidence into practice: Raise awareness, increase knowledge, and improve skills to inform professional and organizational development and expand access to preventive oral health care for the MCH population by developing and disseminating evidence-based/informed educational resources.
Impact
COHSII’s efforts significantly contributed to the integration of oral health care into primary care systems, which benefited the MCH population in particular. By identifying systemic barriers, improving care systems, and translating evidence into practice, COHSII played a pivotal role in promoting oral health and access to oral health care across the United States.
The consortium produced numerous resources, including briefs, curricula, guides, manuals, tip sheets, and reports to support professionals working in or with Title V (MCH) programs to improve oral health outcomes for the MCH population. COHSII also convened an MCH Oral Health Think Tank to identify successful, long-standing statewide programs integrating oral health care into primary care for the MCH population. The resulting report provides insights into key elements for program success and common challenges, offering valuable information for stakeholders aiming to implement similar integration efforts.
Sources
Battani K, Crall J, Fischer D, Goodman H, Holt K. 2024. Integrating Oral Health Care into Primary Care: Five Successful, Long-Standing Statewide Programs Providing Care for the Maternal and Child Health Population. Washington, DC: National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center.
National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center. 2024. Consortium for Oral Health Systems Integration and Improvement [webpage].
- Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges (report) released
Background
The report Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges (2021) offers a comprehensive update of Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General (2000).
The 2021 report examines the nation’s oral health over two decades, highlighting both progress made and persistent challenges. The report is organized into six sections:
Section 1: Effects of Oral Health on the Community, Overall Well-Being, and the Economy
Section 2: Oral Health Across the Lifespan (children, adolescents)
Section 3: Oral Health Across the Lifespan (working-age adults, older adults)
Section 4: Oral Health Workforce, Education, Practice, and Integration
Section 5: Pain, Mental Illness, Substance Use, and Oral Health
Section 6: Emerging Science and Promising Technologies to Transform Oral Health
- Importance of oral health to overall health: The 2000 report raised awareness of the importance of oral health to overall health, and the 2021 report reinforced this and highlights the interconnectedness of oral health and systemic health.
- Advances in understanding and treatment: The 2021 report details substantial advances in the understanding and treatment of oral diseases and conditions resulting from research findings and policy changes over the previous 20 years.
- Focus on disparities: A key focus of the report is persistent disparities in oral health. While some improvements have been made, the gap in disparities has widened, and many communities do not have adequate access to oral health care.
- Calls to action: The report emphasizes the need for policy changes to reduce social and economic inequities that affect oral health and access to care. It calls for the delivery of integrated oral care, medical care, and behavioral health care.
- Workforce development: The report highlights the need to diversify the oral health workforce and address the costs of educating and training future health professionals.
- Impact of COVID-19 pandemic: The report acknowledges the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic posed to the oral health care system.
- Integration of care: The report advocates for a more integrated approach to health care, where oral health professionals and other health professionals collaborate to provide comprehensive care.
- Data and research: The report stresses the need for more comprehensive and longitudinal data on oral health to guide public health policies and programs.
Impact
Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges significantly influenced the understanding of and approach to oral health in the United States. Like the 2000 report, the 2021 report emphasizes the critical link between oral health and overall health. Additionally, the 2021 report details substantial progress in the scientific understanding and treatment of oral diseases.
However, the 2021 report also emphasizes persistent and widening disparities in oral health across populations, thereby expanding its focus to include improving access to oral health care. Furthermore, the report advocates for an integrated health care system where oral health is better connected with medical and behavioral health.
By identifying gaps in knowledge and the need for better data, the report serves as a guide for research on and development of improved surveillance systems. Ultimately, report findings and recommendations provide a foundation for informing policy and practice aimed at enhancing the nation’s oral health.
Sources
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. 2021. Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. 2022. Oral Health in America editors issue guidance for improving oral health for all. NIDCR News [e-newsletter May 25, 2022].
Northridge ME, Kumar A, Kaur R. 2020. Disparities in access to oral health care. Annual Review of Public Health 2(41):513–535.
Satcher D, Nottingham JH. 2017. Revisiting Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General. American Journal of Public Health 107(S1):S32–S33.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2000. Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
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