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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.

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April 23, 2025
Volume 16, Issue 16

Every Kid Healthy Week Starts Now!

Every Kid Healthy Week is an observance that aims to spread awareness regarding the health of children. This is essential because, to grow up into healthy adults, it is important for kids to be healthy and active from a young age! Introducing the importance of oral health to your child at an early age is important in providing them with the tools to use as adults.

1. Have your child visit the dentist by age one or by the time the first tooth erupts.
2. Use a pea size amount of toothpaste and help your child brush for two minutes, two times a day. For a baby, wipe gums with a wash cloth.
3. For brushing battles, visit our website for tips on the Super Smiles for Your Child webpage. https://www.oralhealthkansas.org/SuperSmiles.html
4. Make toothbrushing fun! Brush as a family and hum songs or pause for a moment to sing!
5. April 23 is World Book Day! Create a bedtime routine using the Brush Book Bed model. Brush your teeth as a family, read a book and go to bed at the same time every night.

For more helpful tips, find Tips and Tricks on our webpage.

Stress Awareness Month

Lately, these times have been stressful for many of us with ups and downs of events in our life. We may be feeling stressed or anxious in various ways. Often individuals may clench their jaws or grind their teeth while sleeping and may not even realize it or even when they’re awake. This is called bruxism. Bruxism can cause headaches or damage to our teeth, such as misalignment of our teeth caused from over working the jaw.

What can you do if you’re experiencing bruxism? Of course we always want to find ways to relieve our stress or anxiety. Exercise is a good way to practice breathing and can help reduce your stress. Mouth guards are helpful when you’re sleeping and can prevent your teeth from touching. You can find mouth guards at a general store or talk to your dentist for suggestions.

You can learn more about bruxism from this helpful resource by DentaQuest. Click here to view the information.

All Veterans Deserve Comprehensive Dental Care

The Coalition for Oral Health Policy (COHP), an initiative of the Santa Fe Group, is dedicated to transforming oral health policy in the United States by advocating for equitable, community-focused, and evidence-based approaches. COHP champions systems change that integrate oral health into broader health policies. COHP published a policy statement in Health Affairs Forefront: “All Veterans Deserve Comprehensive Dental Care.”This article addresses the critical gap in dental care access for U.S. veterans, highlighting how limited eligibility for dental services contributes to health inequities and financial strain. The authors propose actionable policy solutions to expand access tackling issues such as workforce shortages and outdated eligibility criteria to ensure all veterans receive the comprehensive care they deserve. One of the authors of the article was Annaliese Cauthron with AIDPH who was a speaker at the 2024 Conference on Oral Health.

Join a Community Conversation

The Alliance for a Healthy Kansas is hosting community conversations around the state encouraging Kansans to tell their Medicaid stories and how cuts to Medicaid will impact their communities. Congressional lawmakers are also invited to attend these sessions to hear Kansas voices. There are only two events left this week including tonight!

Please share the following information about these statewide meetings, which will take place during the April Congressional recess. All events will take place from 6:30 - 7:30pm:

Wednesday, April 23, 2025 - Salina Public Library (more information)
Thursday, April 24, 2025 - Johnson County Public Library - Monticello branch (more information)

The event will be live streamed on their Facebook page and will share the recording with the Congressional lawmakers and their staff. Fliers, social media graphics, and other resources are available at each link above; feel free to use them in your outreach. The Alliance has created a Facebook event for each meeting, as well, that you can share.

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.
• Webinar: Explore the Kansas Health Matters in Action: A Multipurpose Tool for Health, Policy & Community Change, April 21 from 12-1pm CST. Register here.
• Webinar: Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in Daily Practice, April 24 at 6:00pm CST. Click here for more information.
• Save the date! The Conference on Oral Health will be held Friday, November 7 at the KU Edwards Campus. Click here for updates on the conference.

Have you seen the Pathways to Oral Health Project Facebook advertisement? It features one of our Lived Experience Advisory Board Members, Melanie Jacobs and her daughter Sandra. If you see the Pathways ads while scrolling on your Facebook, make sure you “like” it and share it on your page!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/156cnmidhZ/

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!