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The DentaQuest Foundation selects Arnold School center to lead effort to improve oral health for S.C. children
December 6, 2011
Dr. Amy Brock Martin says
award from the DentaQuest
Foundation is major step forward
in
improving oral health for state's
at-risk children.
The DentaQuest Foundation has selected the S.C. Rural Health Research Center at the Arnold School of Public Health, on behalf of the S.C. Oral Health Advisory Council and Coalition, to join its Oral Health 2014 Initiative.
The center will receive $100,000 to support its work in addressing the lack of access to oral health services for underserved children in South Carolina.
The Oral Health 2014 Initiative is a major step to launch a national movement to reverse profound oral health disparities in the United States.
"This is a really important moment for oral health," said Ralph Fuccillo, president of the DentaQuest Foundation. "State organizations have a critical role in health improvements as advocates and stakeholders. The S.C. Rural Health Research Center and the other Oral Health 2014 organizations enhance the national movement of collaborative leaders who are embracing the challenge and the opportunity to address oral health disparities in their communities."
Dr. Amy Brock Martin, deputy director of the S.C. Rural Health Research Center at the Arnold School, said the funding is a major step in moving Act 235, passed in 2010 by the S.C. Legislature, toward implementation.
"Act 235 called for the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control to establish a statewide dental screening initiative and enhance the state's oral health infrastructure," said Martin, who serves on the faculty of the Arnold School's Department of Health Services Policy and Management.
"Act 235 was a significant policy achievement although no state funding was appropriated for its implementation," Martin said. "Achieving our goal of providing services to underserved children will require the work of a network of community oral health coordinators and a strong dental safety net. The DentaQuest award will enable us to develop an implementation plan that moves Act 235 from a legislative concept to a sustainable public health response.
"Our plan will address the underlying imperatives of Act 235, which are to identify at-risk children, establish care coordination, especially between dental and medical providers, and foster parent engagement."
The S.C. Rural Health Research Center will partner with the S.C. Oral Health Advisory Council and Coalition (SCOHACC), the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, the S.C. Dental Association, the S.C. Institute of Medicine and Public Health, and the Palmetto Project.
A recent report from the Institute of Medicine found that nearly 5 million children went without regular dental checkups in 2008 because of financial limitations, and 33.3 million Americans live in areas with a shortage of dental professionals.
Martin said that in South Carolina about 51 percent of children enrolled in Medicaid recently demonstrated improvements in oral health indicators. Yet, many Medicaid-eligible children are not enrolled or lack access to care. Significant oral health disparities remain among underserved children, especially rural minorities -- contributed in large part by the fact that 44 of the state's 46 counties have a shortage of dentists. Many parents also lack awareness of the role that oral health plays in children's total health and development, Martin said.
The multi-year Oral Health 2014 Initiative aims to eliminate such disparities by supporting state organizations that are building community partnerships, she said.
Of the nearly 70 organizations that expressed interest in the Oral Health 2014 initiative and its objectives, 36 organizations were invited to submit full proposals. Only 20 nonprofit organizations were selected from this group to receive funding, including partners in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.
Visit http://www.dentaquestfoundation.org to learn more about the DentaQuest Foundation awards for the Oral Health 2014 Initiative.
About the DentaQuest Foundation
The DentaQuest Foundation (dentaquestfoundation.org) invests in national and community-based efforts to improve oral health for all through its support of prevention and access to oral health care, and through its partnerships with funders, policy makers, and community leaders. The DentaQuest Foundation is supported by DentaQuest, a leading oral health company, administering prevention-focused dental benefits to nearly 15 million individuals across the United States. DentaQuest is a partner in the community and committed to improving oral health through access, innovation and affordability.
