The Weekly Wednesday Update is our newsletter which we email every Wednesday with oral health, health and policy updates from around the state and nationally.

To view past issues click here.

 

December 11, 2024
Volume 15, Issue 45

 

Effective Communication for Individuals with Disabilities in the Dental Office

My Dental Care Passport was developed by Oral Health Kansas (OHK) and the Pathways to Oral Health team, to help make communication better in the dental office for people with disabilities. It was conceived by Board member Tami Allen based on her family’s experience in trying access dental care for her son with disabilities.

My Dental Care Passport is a communications tool designed to improve the dental office visit for people with disabilities by providing a mechanism for individuals and their families/caregivers to voice their specific needs with a dental team. Sharing important information such as how a person likes to communicate or what part of the appointment might be hard for them helps break down communication barriers and allows the dental team to make appropriate accommodations before the person even arrives. It helps the individual with disabilities feel confident during the visit, and it helps dental teams feel confident about meeting each person’s needs.

Last week OHK’s Executive Director, Tanya Dorf Brunner and Board Member Trina Morgan, shared how My Dental Care Passport helps families during their dental visit. Trina has adult children with disabilities, and she was able to tell the story of how using this communications tool has improved her son’s dental care. including her own. Watch the interview here.

 

 

Dental Provider Advisory Group Holds First Meeting

Oral Health Kansas’ new Dental Provider Advisory Group met on November 21. The group began with introductions and quickly led into what needs they see in their clinics and how they could help each other. The group will meet on a quarterly basis to share concerns and brainstorm solutions. This group joins the Lived Experience Advisory Group as advisors to Oral Health Kansas. Together the groups are informing our organizations educational and advocacy strategies to improve dental care access for underserved populations.

 

 

Oral Health Among Incarcerated Population

CareQuest Institute for Oral Health released a report reviewing the relationship between incarceration and oral health, highlighting that 50% of incarcerated individuals had a dental problem during the time they were imprisoned. Some of the findings:

• When incarcerated individuals receive dental care, damaged teeth are often extracted rather than repaired, due to restrictive treatment guidelines.
• In the US, formerly incarcerated individuals experience worse oral health outcomes, such as a greater likelihood of having periodontal disease, than individuals who have never been incarcerated.
• For individuals with histories of substance use, untreated dental issues can reawaken addiction habits as substance use may feel like the only feasible option to eliminate pain.

Read the full report here.

Oral Health Kansas’ program, Success Begins with a Smile, is in its second year, working with the Wyandotte County Juvenile Detention Center in Kansas City, Kansas. Staff visits the detention center to work with the juveniles and staff, sharing how dietary habits, timing of meals and toothbrushing habits impact dental health, while emphasizing the correlation between poor oral health and its adverse effects on individuals’ ability to secure and keep a job.
We have found that educating incarcerated youth about oral health goes beyond mere hygiene - it's about restoring dignity and nurturing responsibility. This partnership promises to not just improve the health care prospects of the participants from the Wyandotte County Juvenile Detention Center, but to set a benchmark for similar initiatives across juvenile detention facilities nationwide. Truly embodying the notion that every significant journey, including those of rehabilitation and hope, can indeed begin with a healthy smile.

 

 

STAHR Program Now Taking Applications

The STAHR program is a two-part program to increase the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds entering health care programs and to better prepare them for success. The program is a collaborative effort of the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, School of Pharmacy, and the Institute for Human Development. The STAHR Scholars Program provides students with the opportunities, resources, and knowledge to become competitive applicants to health professional programs. Students in the Scholars Program will undergo personal and professional development as they pursue and apply to health programs.

Applications are open for the yearlong program. Learn more here.

 

 

Upcoming Events

• Course: An Introduction to Value-Based Care in Oral Health: Moving from Volume to Value, 1 CE. Click here for the course information.
• Self paced courses: Providing Oral Health Care to Autistic Individuals and Caring for Individuals with Disabilities: Practical Considerations for Dental Providers.
• Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities, Advocacy 101 training, December 17 at 6:30pm. Register here.

If you would like to add your event to this list, email info@oralhealthkansas.org.

 

 

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Renee Andriani is more than a graphic recorder. She will “wow” you with her work! Renee attended our Conference on Oral Health on November 8, listened and created an amazing visual of our conference day. We’ll be sharing that design soon, but we wanted to make sure Renee received the recognition she so well deserves! Thank you, Renee, for capturing the day and helping us tell our story!

 

 

Sugary Drink Display

We have Adult and Children's Sugary Drink Display's available for reservations. These displays are eye catching at exhibits, schools, library, dental offices, clinics and just about anywhere you see them! We only have a limited amount so please sign up soon if you're interested in reserving one. Click here to learn more about sugary drink display reservations!