Maryland Hosts First Oral Health Heroes Celebration

On June 4, the Maryland Dental Action Coalition (MDAC) will host Maryland’s first annual Oral Health Heroes celebration at the National Museum of Dentistry in Baltimore beginning at 9am. The agenda includes a panel discussion, “Closing the Gap: Making Oral Health Accessible, Affordable, and Achievable,” followed by the presentation of awards. I appreciate the opportunity extended to me by the MDAC to moderate the panel.

The Maryland Dental Action Coalition* is an interesting story about how a community came together in response to tragedy. The group was first established as the Dental Action Committee in 2007 by Maryland’s Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene John M. Colmers in response to the tragic death of 12-year old Deamonte Driver from an untreated dental infection. The first goal of the Dental Action Committee-- a remarkable team of legislators, policy makers, health administrators, and local dental practitioners from across Maryland-- was to establish policies, practices and public education initiatives aimed at preventing such a tragedy from happening again. In the span of a few years, Maryland has become a national model for constructive change. I can only image how difficult it must be to select just a few of the remarkable individuals working on behalf of better access to prevention and oral health care throughout Maryland for recognition this Friday.

I am looking forward to hearing the insights of the well-informed and energetic panel that the MDAC has assembled:

• Catherine Dunham of the Children’s Dental Health Project
• Dr. Leslie Grant, Past President of the National Dental Association and Chair of the Legislative Committee
• Dr. Norman Tinanoff, of the Department of Health Promotion and Policy of the University of Maryland (and a member of the DentaQuest Foundation’s Board of Directors)
• Laurie Norris, Campaign Manager for the Pew Charitable Trust’s Children’s Dental Campaign
• Barbara Klein, Associate Vice President, Government and Community Affairs for the University of Maryland.
  

I anticipate a lively discussion on the state of oral health in Maryland, what is on the horizon to continue the progress Maryland has made, and how oral health access and oral disease disparities will be addressed in national heath reform. If you are near the National Museum of Dentistry on Friday morning (June 4), join us for this unique celebration of oral health in Maryland.

And check back next week for news from the event.

*The Maryland Dental Action Coalition has a 2009 grant from the DentaQuest Foundation to support its transition to a sustainable statewide oral health coalition.

Guest Post by Ralph Fuccillo, President, DentaQuest Foundation

Recognizing One of Our Own

This June 5 and 6, the AIDS Walk in Massachusetts celebrates a milestone--25 years. On the occasion of this silver anniversary, the AIDS Action Committee is recognizing 25 people whose contributions have been critical to the fight against HIV/AIDS in Massachusetts and beyond. DentaQuest’s Ralph Fuccillo, President of our Foundation, is one of them.

Ralph is being honored for bringing the right people together to get things done. You can read the very nice profile of Ralph’s impact here.

In all that he does for DentaQuest and for the organizations to which he lends his name and support, Ralph Fuccillo is a connecter and consensus seeker. He is one of the activists who changed the course of prevention for AIDS.

We are very fortunate to have Ralph working just as hard today to get the right people to lend their support to our mission of improving oral health in communities of need across America.

Guest Blog post by Fay Donohue, DentaQuest CEO

Age Strong! Live Long: Oral Health and Older Americans

May is Older American’s Month. In celebration of this year's theme, "Age Strong! Live Long" I ask all my readers – Have you had a dental health check up this year?

As you can see from this chart, the oral health of older adults is getting better. Good oral health makes life better – it helps us speak, smile, smell, taste, chew, and swallow - and it keeps us looking younger! Preventable oral diseases – tooth decay (cavities), gum disease, and oral cancer - cause unnecessary pain and disability for millions each year.

We think of tooth decay (cavities) as a problem for children and adolescents. But older adults also get cavities too. This can be treated.

It is more likely that older adults experience periodontal or gum disease –gums get puffy and bleed, teeth become loose, chewing is difficult or painful, and food choices get softer and less nutritious. Tooth loss is not necessarily a part of aging. Gum disease is an infection caused by bacteria that gets under the gum tissue and begins to destroy the gums and bone. If you catch this early, it can be treated. But, if you ignore the symptoms and do nothing, you may loose teeth.

Another reason to have puffy and bleeding gums checked out is that gum disease may also be connected to other health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. If you have any of these symptoms, talk to your dentist or physician.

Getting an oral cancer screening each year is another good reason to see your dentist. Every day hundreds of people are diagnosed with an oral cancer; 1 person dies every hour of every day from oral cancer. A screening is easy and painless; survival rates improve with early detection.

Make following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control part of your daily routine.

1. Drink fluoridated water and use fluoride toothpaste. This is good protection against tooth decay at all ages.
2. Brushing and flossing every day reduces bacteria under the gum tissue and helps prevents periodontal disease. US News and World Report says flossing is one of 10 health habits that help you live to 100. A New York University study showed daily flossing reduced the amount of gum-disease-causing bacteria in the mouth-- bacteria that can enter the bloodstream and trigger inflammation in the arteries, a major risk factor for heart disease.
3. Visit your dentist every year --to maintain the overall health of your teeth and mouth and to detect pre-cancerous or cancerous lesions early in their development.
4. Avoid tobacco. Smokers have a 7 times greater risk of developing periodontal disease than nonsmokers. Spit tobacco also increases the risk of tooth decay. Dental researchers found that on average, 34% of the weight of pouch tobacco is some kind of simple sugar -- either glucose or sucrose!
5. Limit alcohol. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol is a risk factor for oral and throat cancers. Alcohol and tobacco used together are the primary risk factors for these cancers.
   

Oral health matters – at every stage of your life.

A National Focus on Public Health Dentistry

DentaQuest just returned from the 2010 National Oral Health Conference. In what may be a sign of an improving economy and perhaps of the heightened interest in oral health as a result of health reform, this was one of the best attended conferences in recent memory, with 800 individuals and 30 exhibitors involved in 5 days of programming. Held in the gateway city of St. Louis, the 2010 conference involved a very broad spectrum of dentists, dental hygienists, health researchers, dental and health educators, legislators, and public health officials all engaged in the important work of improving the oral health of the American public.

DentaQuest had several opportunities to talk about the work we’re doing to improve oral health.

Using the DentaQuest Institute's recent quality improvement work for the treatment of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) as an example, we talked about the success we have had with an evidence-based, risk-based disease management approach (chart above) that is similar to the concept of chronic care management of medical conditions. Scroll down to our March blog post on our Early Childhood Caries Initiative to learn more. The results of this pilot are impressive and we are looking forward to get other dental practices to use this model in 2010.

Our Safety Net Solutions team introduced an innovative online learning center at www.snsportal.net. The SNS Portal is part classroom, part library, part chat room, and part town square – and 100% tailored to the information needs of clinical care staff and administrators of safety net dental programs. Safety Net Solutions Program Director Dr. Mark Doherty gave a very well received presentation on surviving the economic downturn for safety net dental providers. It will be reprised as a webinar through the online learning center. Visit the online learning center for dates and registration details.

DentaQuest Foundation President, Ralph Fuccillo, spoke to conference attendees about philanthropy's important leadership role in oral health. And, the Foundation’s Director of Programs and Policy, Dr. Michael Monopoli, discussed the role of foundations in supporting programs that are making system-wide changes to improve oral health.

The DentaQuest Institute is the only national, non-profit providing clinical care, practice management and technology solutions that help oral health care providers improve oral health. The DentaQuest Foundation is the largest national philanthropy dedicated solely to oral health.

I happen to think that the greatest benefit from the National Oral Health Conference is the opportunity for our team to connect with dental public health leaders from across the United States. It makes us better at the work we do with partners across the country in developing and implementing more effective approaches to preventing and managing oral disease.

Guest Post by Brian Souza, Managing Director of the DentaQuest Institute

Oral Cancer Facts

Since this is Oral Cancer Awareness month, I wanted to start and end the month with some thoughts on this collection of cancers. I was recently asked to talk about oral cancer on one of our local television stations and so I contacted the Oral Cancer Foundation for some information. I talked with their Director who is an oral cancer survivor of 11 years. He was a pleasant person to speak with and had lots of valuable information to share. Among his statistics:

1. 110 people every day are diagnosed with an oral cancer
2. 1 person dies every hour of every day from oral cancer
3. Anecdotally, on the oral cancer foundation survivor list, about 1/3 are under 30 years of age
4. There seems to be a correlation with the HPV virus and oral cancers
5. In 2007 oral cancers rose 11%
6. Survival rate is good if found early, but overall about a 55% survival after 5 years

The signs of possible oral cancer lesions inside your mouth include both “raised” and “sunken” lesions, changes in coloration, hardening lesions and lesions that bleed easily. These changes should have been present at least 14 days before you start to worry, and your dentist is a great place to start for a diagnosis.

Always feel free to talk to your dentist about what to watch for and ways to prevent oral cancer.

Massachusetts has an oral health plan

The plan, presented at the Massachusetts State House by the Better Oral Health for Massachusetts Coalition on April 12, is the result of over a year and a half of work by a dental care providers, program sponsors, lawmakers, state officials, insurers, health advocates, policy leaders, and consumers, in communities from Cape Cod to the Berkshires.

The goal of the state Oral Health Plan is to improve the system of oral health services in the state through a strategy that includes increasing access to preventive services, broadening the public’s understanding of oral health, developing the oral health workforce, and strengthening disease surveillance. The plan emphasizes cost-effective strategies and public-private partnerships at the local, regional and statewide levels.

The Better Oral Health for Massachusetts Coalition was formed in 2008 in response to data provided in 2008 report by the Catalyst Institute’s report, The Oral Health of Massachusetts. This report found gaps in access to preventive oral health services across Massachusetts. For example, 48% of children under the age of 9 suffer from tooth decay and 1 in 10 children from low-income and minority families reported mouth pain while at school. Untreated tooth decay can inhibit a child’s ability to learn, speak, and eat, and result in lower educational attainment and poorer overall health.

I had the pleasure to serve as master of ceremonies at the launch of the plan. Speakers representing state government and the health care community spoke about the importance of oral health and its connection to overall health.

The DentaQuest Foundation has been the primary supporter of the Better Oral Health for Massachusetts Coalition through in-kind and financial contributions. View the plan at www.massoralhealth.org or, at www.dentaquestfoundation.org/resources/reports.php.

Guest post by Ralph Fuccillo, President, DentaQuest Foundation

Acid Reflux and Oral Cancer

The survival rate for people with oral cancer has not shown much improvement over the past several decades and we should discuss some reasons for that.

In general terms, mouth cancers have about a 50% survival rate after 5 years. Most physicians believe this is because the cancers of the mouth are diagnosed later than other cancers, mainly because the public ignores many early signs.

As a dentist, I am expected to perform a 90-second oral cancer screening for patients. In this screening, I look for color changes in the tissues or small ulcerations in the oral cavity. Many lesions are found at the base of the tongue and under the tongue – places most people never look at in their own mouths.

A dentist needs to take a piece of gauze and pull your tongue, twisting it from side-to-side to get a good look under and behind the tongue. There are other tools available to dentists today for biopsying these ulcerations to tell if they are cancerous. One popular tool uses a rinse and blue light to show ulcerations. This tool does not give a diagnosis of the tissue changes, but it makes them easier to find. For those with insurance, the visual oral cancer screening is included as part of the oral evaluation performed by dentists, and should not be charged separately.

The leading causes of oral cancer include the use of tobacco and alcohol, but certainly it can strike anyone. My mother died nearly 40 years ago from a form of oral cancer related to acid reflux and which is almost completely preventable today. Prior to her death, I was not aware that acid reflux can irritate the esophagus until it becomes malignant. Common associated diagnoses are GERD and Barrett’s esophagus. GERD is a term for acid reflux; Barrett’s esophagus is the pre-cancerous esophagus caused from acid reflux that then becomes irritated and later may become malignant. Your dentist may be able to recognize untreated Barrett’s from signs of erosion on the teeth from the acid and may alert you to have a conversation with your physician.

This month (April) is oral cancer awareness month. I wanted to remind you to make sure your dentist pulls and twists your tongue at your next visit.