Connect for Kids / Child Advocacy 360 / Youth Policy Action Center - Oral Health

Neighborhood Factors Influence Youth Participation in Programs

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:37:21 -0500

A new Child Trends brief finds that youth who have not participated in out-of-school time programs are significantly more likely than are their participating peers to live in an unsupportive neighborhood; to spend more than two hours a day watching TV or playing video games; and to have parents who are in poor health, who don't exercise, and who have less than a high school education.

West Virginia Seeks To Increase Medicaid Reimbursement Rates For Dentists

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:12:21 -0600

The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that while West Virginia's Medicaid program covers some dental care for children younger than age 19, the West Virginia Dental Association is asking to add additio

Rural Dental Dilemmas Growing

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:38:42 -0500

In many rural areas, lower ratios of dentists to patients than in urban areas, and patients' lack of insurance, can make it hard to find needed dental care. Nonprofit clinics are working to fill in the gap, but many struggle to serve the large numbers of patients who need services.

Guide to Children's Dental Care in Medicaid

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 11:40:10 -0600

This guide from the Department of Health and Human Services contains information on clinical practice, evolving technologies, and recommendations in dental care for children and families receiving Medicaid.

Children's Oral Health: Disparities

Mon, 20 Dec 2004 15:00:51 -0600

Poor children and children of color are less likely to get the dental care they need. In a briefing for lawmakers, the Children's Dental Health Project of Washington, DC, identified some changes Congress could make to close these gaps for kids.

Dental Care is Part of Good Health Care

Fri, 10 Dec 2004 08:41:51 -0600

The Children's Dental Health Project explains the importance of the Medicaid dental benefit to six million Americans, including a look at the costs when moral health care is lacking.

Interface Between Medicine and Dentistry in Meeting the Oral Health Needs of Young Children

Thu, 02 Dec 2004 18:09:06 -0600

About 80 percent of dental caries (tooth decay) is concentrated in just a fourth of the pediatric population, but an uneven distribution of dentists means many of these kids do not get the care they need. This White Paper explores ways the medical and dental professions can work together to better serve children under five years of age.

Children's Dental Health Access in Medicaid

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:36:25 -0500

The Child Health Insurance Research Initiative examined children's access to preventive and other dental care in Georgia and Alabama before the adoption of new reforms, to illustrate problems in access.

Keep America Smiling: 2003 Oral Health Report Card

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:34:09 -0500

America is making progress but could do more to ensure good oral health for children, according to this report card from Oral Health America. Dental sealants, for example, are one of the most cost-effective ways to protect against tooth decay, but only 23 percent of U.S.

Knowledge Path on Oral Health and Children

Sun, 02 Jan 2005 16:28:30 -0600

Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease of childhood. The January 2003 edition of the Oral Health and Children and Adolescents knowledge path offers information for policymakers, health professionals, researchers and families.

State Efforts to Improve Children's Oral Health

Wed, 05 Jan 2005 20:44:43 -0600

For a significant number of children, bad oral health is a painful and chronic reality. This November 2002 National Governors Association brief describes what states can do to ensure these children have regular access to competent care and prevention.

Improving Oral Health Care Systems in California

Thu, 02 Dec 2004 14:01:59 -0600

This report from the California Dental Access Project reviews and analyzes the complex issues that must be considered and addressed to improve access to, and quality of, oral health care services for underserved populations in California.

Making Kids' Oral Health an Issue in Washington State

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:29:50 -0500

The public perceives dental problems as more a cosmetic concern than a health issue. But Washington advocates are trying to seize the moment created by the Surgeon General's May 2000 report on children's oral health to make this largely ignored issue a top public priority.

Gaps in Prevention and Treatment: Dental Care for Low-Income Children

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:28:37 -0500

Data from the Urban Institute's 1997 National Survey of America's Families (NSAF) indicates that almost 10 percent of low-income children had an unmet need for dental care—twice the level experienced by higher-income children.

For Child Advocates: Children's Oral Health Do's and Don't's

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:27:48 -0500

Efforts to improve children's oral health have suffered from the perception that the care of teeth and gums is a cosmetic concern, not a legitimate health issue. The release of the Surgeon General's report on oral health represents an opportunity for advocates to change that perception. Susan Nall Bales offers suggestions.