Bureau Of Oral Health Newsletter - Issue 1

Kathy Weno, Director of the Office of Oral Health Dawn McGlasson, Deputy Director Caron Shipley, School Screening Coordinator

O f f i c e o f o r a l h e a lt h — k d h e

Oral health news

W

elcome to the KDHE OOH first newsletter! Since the release of the State Oral Health Plan last year, our Office has been busy developing new oral health projects and working with wonderful people all across Kansas. This newsletter will update everyone on the current status of our programs and showcase some of the great community partners that have contributed their time and talents to help us improve the oral health status of all Kansans. Thanks to everyone who supports our efforts, and let us know if you have news to share in future newsletters!

Maggie Smet, Professional Outreach Coordinator Mary Ann Percy, Professional Outreach Coordinator Ashley McMahan, Administrative Assistant Visit our website: http://www.kdheks.gov/ohi/index.html

OOH STATE SCREENING PROJECT: WHO ARE THESE SCREENERS & WHY ARE THEY SO SPECIAL?....BECAUSE THEY ARE! Written by Caron Shipley, RDH, BSDH School Screening Coordinator Kansas has a State Statute (72-5201), that requires school districts to provide their students with free annual dental screenings. Although this statute has been on the books since 1915, it doesn’t provide money for screenings and schools have a difficult time accomplishing this mission. Some communities have developed their own personal screening programs, but there has not been a statewide screening program for over a decade. This is a shame as dental decay is very common in school children. In a recent KDHE survey, 64% of Kansas third graders had dental decay. To assist schools with oral health screenings, Office of Oral Health School Coordinator, Caron Shipley RDH, BS with support from the Kansas Health Foundation and Delta Dental Foundation is developing a comprehensive oral health screening program. Schools will

use trained volunteer dental professionals to screen children using a standardized protocol. Caron is testing this program in six pilot areas (Wichita, Garden City, NW Kansas, Junction City, Pittsburg and Lawrence) across Kansas in the 2008-9 school year. These screeners are true champions, donating their time and talents to help the children and schools in their communities. Once these children have been screened, the screening data collected will be sent to the Office of Oral Health and posted on the OOH website. School level data can assist local oral health advocates develop oral health prevention programs and allow them to monitor their school children’s oral health status. These screenings do not replace a trip to the dentist and all children screened will be given the recommendation to see a dental professional on regular six month intervals for preventive services along with a thorough examination from a dentist.

We would like to recognize these dental screening volunteers and thank them for providing such a wonderful benefit to their community, and to all of Kansas! Please go to page 3 to see a complete listing of our screeners.

PERINATAL DEPRESSION AND HEALTHY SMILES TRAINING FOR HEALTHY START HOME VISITORS Written By Brenda Nickel, Child Health Consultant

Lisa House, RDH, demonstrates to home visitors at Meade County how to assist mothers in checking their children’s teeth. Lisa is assisted by Grant County’s Healthy Start Home Visitor, Katie Metcalf and her son, Neal

The fall regional Healthy Start Home Visitor training concluded August 15 in Clay Center. This training, a requirement of the Maternal and Child Health block grant for outreach and family support services in local health departments, provided additional resources to expand the repertoire of the paraprofessional and professional staff visiting mothers prenatally and after delivery. This year’s training included Healthy Smiles training, sponsored by the Office of Oral Health (OOH) at the Kansas Department of Health and

Environment and Oral Health Kansas. Professional Outreach Coordinators, Maggie Smet, RDH and Lisa House, RDH, traveled to the six regional sites to assist in expanding knowledge of the importance of oral health for healthy pregnancies and for establishing healthy habits in their babies and children. The two dental hygienists were joined by their colleagues, Dawn McGlasson, Deputy Director, OOH and Caron Shipley, School Oral Health Coordinator, at training in Wyandotte, Rooks, and Labette counties.

PROJECT READY SMILE… GIVING YOUNG CHILDREN SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT! Written By MaryAnn Percy, RDH, BSDH Professional Outreach Coordinator

Office of oral health — kdhe Curtis State Office Building 1000 SW Jackson Suite 300 Topeka, Kansas 66612 Tel: 785-296-5116 Fax: 785-291-3959 www.kdheks.gov/ohi

The REACH Healthcare Foundation and the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City have united to launch a threeyear initiative to improve the oral health of children from birth to six years of age. The goal is to help children enter kindergarten with healthy teeth and mouths and ready to learn. The project is working with early education centers and Head Start programs in the Foundations’ shared service area, which encompasses Cass, Jackson, and Lafayette counties in Missouri, and Allen, Johnson, and Wyandotte counties in Kansas. The initiative has started with 20 centers and approximately 1,000 children, with plans to add more. Three Project Ready Smile dental hygienists rotate through the early education programs to conduct oral screenings, apply fluoride varnish, and connect children with dental providers. Treatment is provided at no cost to the participating families. In addition to these services, the Project Ready Smile hygienists conduct classroom education sessions and carry out fun projects covering various oral health topics. Education on oral health

habits is presented to parents as well as lessons for the early education program staff. A bulletin board is posted at each center, which provides an opportunity to display a picture of the hygienist, for quick recognition, and monthly oral health tips. Oral screenings are conducted at each center and are performed on every enrolled child twice a year. Each child is provided with a toothbrush, toothpaste, stickers, and a “report card” to take home. Toothbrushes and toothpaste are also provided for children to keep at the center if needed. Along with improving the oral health of young children, the project also works to increase the number of dentists willing to treat low-income children. Dentists have been recruited in the project’s six-county service area to provide services to children who need them. Dental services are reimbursed at the standard Medicaid rates. As a new school year gets underway, the Project Ready Smile dental hygienists anticipate enrolling even more children this year. The success of the project will be children receiving regular preventive care and entering kindergarten with healthy teeth and mouths.

GRACEMED PROVIDES CARE FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS Written By Dave Sanford Executive Director, GraceMed Beginning September 1, 2007, GraceMed partnered with the State of Kansas Office of Oral Health through a HRSA grant to provide dental services for special needs children. After an initial few months of developing collaborative partnerships with referral agencies and contracting with an anesthesia service, the provision of direct services was initiated in January of 2008. Two days per month, GraceMed schedules special needs children for care at our main clinic. Dr, Roger Nolte, DDS, with the assistance of parents, support staff and a CRNA, provides care for children who need sedation and would not be able to accept care without this service. Each day of service, we schedule between four and six appointments, depending on the severity of each case and the

proposed treatment plan. The goal, of course, is to provide as much care as possible and clinically practical during each sedation session. The response from parents and caregivers has been overwhelming. The children we see, for the most part, are uninsured and have few, if any, options to access quality dental care. It is a very emotional experience for a parent to observe their special needs child receiving services from a team of caring, compassionate professionals. At the end of most cases, there isn't a dry eye in the house! This HRSA grant is now in it's second of four years. GraceMed and our dental professionals are blessed to participate in this project. We look forward to reaching all the outcomes for a successful grant and will work to insure this service is sustainable when the grant term expires.

GraceMed staff during a special needs clinic day.

Save the date October 1st - 3rd Kansas State Nurses Association Annual Convention Wichita Airport Hilton Wichita, Kansas

November 6th - 7th

OOH STATE SCREENERS

Oral Health Kansas 5th Annual Conference Doubletree Hotel Overland Park, Kansas

Amy Planker RDH

Dr. Gary Blaich

Lisa House RDH

Angela Ayers Riner RDH

Dr. Jarrod Jones

Lori Applehans RDH

Angela Black RDH

Dr. Jeffrey Lowe

Marie Youvan RDH

Angie Larson RDH

Dr. Melinda Miner

Mary Ann Percy RDH

Anna Blackwood RDH

Dr. Paul Jones

Mary Ellen Caldwell RDH

Azarel Molina RDH

Dr. Rob Herron

Mary Epler RDH

Becky Walden RDH

Dr. Walker

Megan Wilson RDH

BJ Walters RDH

Gail Kennedy D.A

Michelle Pester RDH

Bobette Maier RDH

Ginny Clark RDH

Michelle Ritzman

Calee Courter RDH

Haley Dalton

Nicole Goldston RDH

Christy Hillard RDH

Heather Sadowski RDH

Pam Younger RDH

Colby County Community College

Holly R. Blick RDH

Patti Taylor RDH

Cristy Park RDH

Jackie Larson D.A

Paula Fowles D.A.

Cruzie Corpus

Jayci Chaney RDH

Rebecca Vollertsen RDH

Debbie Daniels RDH

Julia Thornburg RDH

Rebecca Wright RDH

Deborah Damitio RDH

Karen Hughes RDH

Rosalie Gaulier-Nguyen RDH

Donna Houser RDH

Kim Andrews RDH

Sherry Martin RDH

Doreen Eyler RDH

Kimberly Fowler RDH

Stephanie Beshore RDH

Dorie Edge D.A

Kristin Unruh RDH

Susan Stitch RDH

Dr. Bill McKee

Laurie Marienau RDH

Tammi Engel

Dr. Cindi Sherwood

Leah Hill RDH

Tara Kaus

Dr. Daniel Miner

Leigh Edmonds RDH

Tara Small RDH

Dr. Eric Blackwood

Lisa Giphens RDH

Valla Rolls RDH

RDH

Office of oral health — kdhe Curtis State Office Building 1000 SW Jackson Suite 300 Topeka, Kansas 66612 Tel: 785-296-5116 Fax: 785-291-3959 www.kdheks.gov/ohi