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Items in this list may be obtained from the sources cited. Contact information reflects the most current data about the source that has been provided to the MCH Digital Library.


Displaying records 1 through 20 (135 total).

U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. n.d.. Advancing oral health prevention in primary care: Measures for quality improvement--How to build an advancing oral health prevention in primary care family of measures. Baltimore, MD: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 4 pp.

Annotation: This report provides suggestions for how states that choose to implement programs to advance prevention of oral disease in primary care for beneficiaries of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) can select a family of measures to assess progress. It explains what the different measures in the family of measures are (outcome measures, process measures, and balancing measures) and provides measurement strategies for each type of measure.

Contact: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244, Telephone: (877) 267-2323 Secondary Telephone: (410) 786-3000 Fax: Web Site: https://www.cms.gov Available from the website.

Keywords: Dental caries, Low income groups, Medicaid, Oral heath, Prevention, Primary care, Programs, State Children', s Health Insurance Program

U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. n.d.. Advancing oral health prevention in primary care driver diagram and change ideas. Baltimore, MD: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 13 pp.

Annotation: This report provides ideas for how states can use a driver diagram on oral health produced by Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to advance prevention of oral disease in primary care, plan a quality-improvement (QI) project, and determine how to improve outcomes. The report offers background, presents the driver diagram, explains the driver diagram, and provides ideas for activities to promote change.

Contact: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244, Telephone: (877) 267-2323 Secondary Telephone: (410) 786-3000 Fax: Web Site: https://www.cms.gov Available from the website.

Keywords: Dental caries, Low income groups, Medicaid, Oral heath, Prevention, Primary care, Programs, State Children', s Health Insurance Program

U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. n.d.. Advancing oral health prevention in primary care: Getting started on quality improvement. Baltimore, MD: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 1 video (11 min.)

Annotation: This video discusses how children who are Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Program beneficiaries can benefit from having fluoride varnish applied to their teeth in the primary care setting. The video shares quality-improvement methods that can help states improve the provision of oral health care to these children by primary care health professionals. Topics include developing an aim statement, using a driver diagram, identifying drivers to consider for achieving the aim, starting small to test whether change ideas are working, and using the plan-do-sudy-act method.

Contact: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244, Telephone: (877) 267-2323 Secondary Telephone: (410) 786-3000 Fax: Web Site: https://www.cms.gov Available from the website.

Keywords: Dental caries, Low income groups, Medicaid, Oral heath, Prevention, Primary care, Programs, State Children', s Health Insurance Program

CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. 2024. State of oral health equity in America 2024 survey: Key findings. Boston, MA: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, 3 pp.

Annotation: This brief provides key findings from the State of Oral Health Equity in America 2024 Survey, a nationally representative survey of over 9,000 adults’ attitudes, experiences, and behaviors related to oral health. Information is included about dental visits in the past year by home-ownership status, planned dental visits in the coming year by income level, emergency department visits for oral health care by educational attainment, having a dental home by health insurance status, self-rated oral health by sexual orientation, importance attached to cultural humility in oral health care by race, and importance attached to diversity in oral health care by income level.

Contact: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, 465 Medford Street, Boston, MA 02129-1454, Telephone: (617) 886-1700 Web Site: https://www.carequest.org Available from the website.

Keywords: Behavior, Cultural competence, Dental care, Educational attainment, Emergency medical services, Health equity, Health insurance, Income factors, Oral health, Sexual identity, Surveys

Wilson K. 2024. Minimally-invasive care: Policy opportunities to improve dental care access and affordability. Boston, MA: Community Catalyst, Dental Access Project, 6 pp.

Annotation: This brief provides an overview of state-level policies that can support community-level actions to help ensure that communities have access to comprehensive oral health care, as well as federal policies that support the availability of minimally invasive care (MIC). State-level policy considerations discussed include maximizing Medicaid coverage for MIC (coverage of fluoride treatments, reimbursement for teledentistry, and risk management and individualized care); improving private coverage of MIC; and workforce considerations. Federal-level policy considerations discussed include mandatory Medicaid adult benefits, federal standardization of essential health benefits, and comprehensive Medicare dental benefits.

Contact: Community Catalyst, Dental Access Project, 30 Winter Street, 10th Floor, Boston, MA 02108, Telephone: (617) 338-6035 Fax: (617) 451-5838 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: https://communitycatalyst.org/work/projects/dental-access-project/ Available from the website.

Keywords: Access to health care, Community health, Dental insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, Oral health, Public policy

Oregon Health Authority. [2023]. Advancing prevention and reducing childhood caries in Medicaid and CHIP (MAC) Affinity Group, July 2021-December 2022. Portland, OR: Oregon Health Authority, 2 pp.

Annotation: This fact sheet provides information on efforts made by the Medicaid and Children’s Health CHIP Affinity Group to prevent and reduce tooth decay in children and adolescents from July 2021 through December 2022. The fact sheet describes the purpose of the group and its activities and goals, offers background on tooth decay among children and adolescents from families with low incomes, and provides the group’s draft aim statement. Baseline data on fluoride varnish application is also included.

Contact: Oregon Health Authority, Oral Health Program, 800 N.E. Oregon Street, Suite 850, Portland, OR 97232, Telephone: (971) 673-0348 Secondary Telephone: (971) 673-0372 Fax: (971) 673-0240 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: https://public.health.oregon.gov/PreventionWellness/oralhealth/Pages/index.aspx Available from the website.

Keywords: Dental caries, Low income groups, Medicaid, Oral health, Oregon, Prevention, State Children', State information, s Health Insurance Program

Schroeder K, Heaton LJ, Santoro M, Martin P, Tranby EP. 2023. Oral hygiene home care practices in America. Boston, MA: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, 15 pp. (Research brief)

Annotation: This brief provides information on oral hygiene home care practices in the United States. It presents the results of a survey of adults conducted to learn about oral hygiene habits, lifestyle choices, and socioeconomic factors that may affect oral health. The brief discusses brushing and flossing frequency; influences of food- and beverage-related behaviors and tobacco use on oral hygiene practices at home; and the influence of dental insurance type on brushing and flossing behaviors. Statistical information is presented according to age group, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Contact: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, 465 Medford Street, Boston, MA 02129-1454, Telephone: (617) 886-1700 Web Site: https://www.carequest.org Available from the website.

Keywords: Adult health, Age factors, Dental insurance, Ethnic factors, Gender, Oral health, Oral hygiene, Racial factors, Socioeconomic factors, Statistical data, Surveys, Tobacco use

Holt K, Barzel R. 2023. Fluoride varnish for adults: Q&A. Washington, DC: National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center, 1 p.

Annotation: This handout provides information for adults, including pregnant women, about how fluoride varnish can make their teeth more resistant to tooth decay. The handout explains what fluoride varnish is and discusses its safety. It also addresses things to avoid after it is applied to teeth, how long it lasts, how often it should be applied, and whether it is covered by dental insurance. The sheet is written in simple language and is available English and in Spanish. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Contact: National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: https://www.mchoralhealth.org Available from the website.

Keywords: Adult health, Dental caries, Dental insurance, Fluoride, Oral health, Pregnant women, Prevention, Safety, Spanish language materials

Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. [2022]. IDPH school-based sealant program update report: School year 2021-2022. Des Moines, IA: Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, 4 pp.

Annotation: This report presents information about the Iowa Department of Health's School-Based Dental Sealant Program for school year 2021–2022. Information is presented, by agency, on the number and percentage of children in the state with a history of tooth decay and with untreated decay relative to the child's payment source for oral health care (private insurance, self-pay, Medicaid, or Hawk-i [a state program that provides health coverage for uninsured children in working families in Iowa]). The report also presents information about children who participated in the National School Lunch Program who received an oral health screening and who received dental sealants. Also presented is information about children who received an oral health screening, received sealants, had a history of decay, had untreated decay, had a dental visit within the last 12 months, and who received fluoride, by payment source, age, sex, and race.

Contact: Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Dental and Oral Health, Lucas State Office Building, 321 East 12th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319-0075, Telephone: (515) 242-6383 Secondary Telephone: (866) 528-4020 Fax: (515) 242-6384 Web Site: https://hhs.iowa.gov/programs/programs-and-services/dental-and-oral-health

Keywords: Dental caries, Health care utilization, Health insurance, Iowa, Low income groups, Medicaid, Oral health, School age children, School lunch programs, Screening tests, Fluoride, Dental sealants, State information, State programs

U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 2022. Overview of the dental and oral health service measures in the 2022 child core set. Baltimore, MD: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 4 pp. (Medicaid & CHIP health care quality measures, Technical assistance resource)

Annotation: This resource provides an overview of the three oral health care measures in the 2022 Core Set of Children’s Health Care Quality Measures for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (Child Core Set) and highlights differences in the measure specifications. The three measures are sealant receipt on permanent first molars; oral evaluation, dental services; and topical fluoride for children. Links to resources to help states calculate the dental and oral health services measures for Child Core Set reporting are included.

Contact: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244, Telephone: (877) 267-2323 Secondary Telephone: (410) 786-3000 Fax: Web Site: https://www.cms.gov Available from the website.

Keywords: Children', Dental sealants, Fluoride, Health services, Medicaid, Oral health, s Health Insurance Program

Arkansas Center for Health Improvement. 2022. Utilization of dental care among Arkansas children and adults. Little Rock, AR: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, 49 pp.

Annotation: This report describes a study to inform policy decisions to improve access to and use of oral health care in Arkansas and to establish baseline measures for coverage and use indicators. Topics include data sources, key findings, study demographics and dental insurance coverage profile, use of care, fluoride varnish applications, dental sealant applications, use of oral health care in medical care settings, hospital emergency department use among uninsured individuals, population-to-active-dentist ratio profile, tooth-extraction-related opioid-prescribing profile, and future research.

Contact: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, 1401 W. Capitol Avenue, Suite 300 (Victory Building), Little Rock, AR 72201, Telephone: (501) 526-2244 Web Site: https://achi.net/ Available from the website.

Keywords: Access to health care, Arkansas, Data, Dental sealants, Fluoride, Health care utilization, Health insurance, Oral health, Public policy, State information, Uninsured persons

South Dakota Department of Social Services. 2022. Advancing prevention and reducing childhood caries in Medicaid and CHIP. Pierre, SD: South Dakota Department of Social Services, 8 pp.

Annotation: This fact sheet provides information on how the Advancing Prevention and Reducing Childhood Caries in Medicaid and CHIP Affinity Group, launched by the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, will provide technical assistance to state Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Program agencies and their partners as they design, test, implement, and assess strategies to improve pediatric oral health. The purpose of the group is to help states improve oral health outcomes through the delivery of preventive oral health care. The fact sheet discusses oral health, provides an overview of the group, and presents state team learning objectives.

Contact: South Dakota Department of Social Services, 700 Governors Drive, Pierre, SD 57501, Telephone: (605) 773-3165 Web Site: https://dss.sd.gov Available from the website.

Keywords: Children, Dental caries, Medicaid, Oral health, Prevention, Quality improvement, State Children', s Health Insurance Program

Georgia Department of Public Health. [2021]. Oral health, Georgia PRAMS 2017-2019. Atlanta, GA: Georgia Department of Public Health, 4 pp.

Annotation: This fact sheet provides information about PRAMS in Georgia. It offers background on the importance of oral health care during pregnancy. Data from Georgia’s 2017–2019 PRAMS on the percentage of Georgia women who reported having a dental cleaning during pregnancy and the percentage who reported having dental insurance during pregnancy are presented. Also included is the percentage of Georgia women who needed to see a dentist for a problem during pregnancy and, of those, the percentage who visited a dentist or dental clinic; the percentage who knew it was important to care for there teeth and gums during pregnancy; and the percentage who were told by a health professional how to care for their teeth and gums during pregnancy.

Contact: Georgia Department of Public Health, Two Peachtree Street, N.W., 15th Floor, Atlanta, GA 30303-3186, Telephone: (404) 657-2700 Web Site: http://dph.georgia.gov Available from the website.

Keywords: Data, Data sources, Dental insurance, Georgia, Health care utilization, Oral health, Pregnant women, State information

Caffrey E, Tate AR, Cashion SW, Lee JY, Casamassimo P, Wright R, Litch CS, Essling M. 2021. Are your kids covered? Medicaid coverage for the essential oral health benefits (2nd ed.). Chicago, IL: American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 16 pp.

Annotation: This brief evaluates Medicaid coverage for a select group of dental insurance codes that address barriers to optimal oral health care for children. The goal of the brief, which explains how these codes are created and why they are important, is to raise awareness of the codes and of the benefits of advocating for their inclusion in state fee schedules. For each code, the brief offers a rationale, a recommendation, and a list of states that reimburse for the code.

Contact: American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 211 East Chicago Avenue, Suite 1600, Chicago, IL 60611-2637, Telephone: (312) 337-2169 Fax: (312) 337-6329 Web Site: http://www.aapd.org Available from the website.

Keywords: Dental caries, Disease prevention, Insurance, Medicaid, Oral health

Delta Dental Plans Association. 2021. The state of America's oral health report. Oak Brook, I: Delta Dental Plans Association, 13 pp.

Annotation: This report presents data about consumers’ oral-health-related behaviors throughout 2020. It provides insights into the public’s awareness of the connection between oral health and overall health. Topics include the importance of oral health to overall health, oral hygiene practices, prioritization of preventive dental visits, and the relationship between having dental insurance and oral health status.

Contact: Delta Dental Plans Association, 1515 West 22nd Street, Suite 450, Oak Brook, IL 60523, Web Site: https://www.deltadental.com Available from the website.

Keywords: Dental hygiene, Health behavior, Health insurance, Oral health, Prevention, Statistical data

Vermont Department of Health. 2019. Vermont PRAMS: Maternal oral health care, 2012-2015. Burlington, VT: Vermont Department of Health, 5 pp.

Annotation: This report provides data for Vermont on oral health care before and during pregnancy for 2012–2015 and overall estimates for 34 PRAMS sites for 2015, which allow comparisons between Vermont and other PRAMS sites. The report shows that women in Vermont were more likely than women in other PRAMS sites to know it is important to care for their teeth and gums during pregnancy, more likely to talk to a health care worker about care of teeth and gums, and more likely to have insurance for oral health care during pregnancy.

Contact: Vermont Department of Health, P.O. Box 70, 108 Cherry Street, Burlington, VT 05402, Telephone: (802) 863-7606 Secondary Telephone: (800) 464-4343 Fax: (802) 865-7701 Web Site: http://www.healthvermont.gov Available from the website.

Keywords: Data, Data sources, Dental insurance, Health care utilization, Oral health, Pregnant women, State information, Vermont

U.S. Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services. 2018. Aligning dental payment policies and periodicity schedules in the Medicaid and CHIP programs. Baltimore, MD: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services, 4 pp.

Annotation: This bulletin discusses the importance of state Medicaid programs and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIPs) properly implementing dental periodicity schedules to ensure children’s access to dental coverage. Topics include background on tooth decay in children, dental coverage for children enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP, proper implementation of dental periodicity schedules, and state action to ensure dental periodicity and fee schedule alignment and flexibility.

Contact: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244, Telephone: (877) 267-2323 Secondary Telephone: (410) 786-3000 Fax: Web Site: https://www.cms.gov Available from the website.

Keywords: Access to health care, Dental care, Dental insurance, Medicaid, Oral health, State Children', State programs, s Health Insurance Program

Fish-Parcham C. 2018. Treating pain is not enough: Why states' emergency dental benefits fall short. Washington, DC: Families USA, 12 pp. (Issue brief)

Annotation: This document presents information from a survey conducted by Families USA of 14 states that cover emergency-only oral health services. Selected topics include what can be learned from states that offer emergency-only coverage, how responding states’ dental benefits differ, states in which managed-care plans provide adults with extra offerings, costs to states of paying for emergency department visits when appropriate oral health services are not available, the limited availability of alternative oral health care resources for adults, and the inadequacy of emergency-only dental care for individuals with serious medical conditions.

Contact: Families USA, 1225 New York Avenue, N.W., Suite 800, Washington, DC 20005, Telephone: (202) 628-3030 Fax: (202) 347-2417 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.familiesusa.org Available from the website.

Keywords: Costs, Dental insurance, Emergency medical services, Low income groups, Medicaid, Oral health, Oral health care, State programs, Surveys

Phipps K. 2018. MI Head Start Smiles 2017-2018: The oral health of Michigan's Head Start children. Lansing, MI: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, 25 pp.

Annotation: This report discusses the oral health status of a sample of children enrolled in Head Start in Michigan. It provides an overview of the importance of oral health for children and of dental benefits for children in the state who are Medicaid recipients. Key findings about children enrolled in Head Start in Michigan are presented.

Contact: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Capitol View Building, 201 Townsend Street, Lansing, MI 48913, Telephone: (517) 373-3740 Web Site: http://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs Available from the website.

Keywords: Access to health care, Dental insurance, Head Start, Low income groups, Medicaid, Michigan, Oral health, State programs, Young children

Ohio Department of Health, Oral Health Program. 2018. Oral health screening survey of third grade schoolchildren in Ohio, 2017-18. Columbus, OH: Ohio Department of Health, Oral Health Program, 11 pp.

Annotation: This data brief reports results of an oral health screening survey of children in third grade conducted by the Ohio Department of Health during school year 2017–2018. The brief presents overall findings and discusses disparities in oral health; access to oral health care; impact on access to oral health care and insurance status on oral health status; percentage of children with a history of tooth decay, untreated tooth decay, and dental sealants in Ohio vs. in the nation as a whole; and survey results compared with Healthy People 2020 objectives. The significance of the findings is also discussed. Statistical data is provided, and a description of study methods is included. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Contact: Ohio Department of Health, Oral Health Program, 246 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43215, E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odh/know-our-programs/oral-health-program/welcome-to Available from the website.

Keywords: Access to health care, Dental caries, Dental sealants, Health insurance, Ohio, Oral health, School age children, State programs, Statistical data, Surveillance

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This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U02MC31613, MCH Advanced Education Policy, $3.5 M. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.