At a jam-packed conference hosted by the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum in Boston yesterday, participants were treated to a wide array of incredible speakers discussing the state of oral health in Massachusetts and ways to improve oral health at the state and national level.
The conference, titled “Putting the Mouth Back in the Body: Improving Oral Health Access Across the Commonwealth,” (issue brief and presentations here) featured many expert presenters: Senator Harriette Chandler, Co-Chair, Legislative Oral Health Caucus; Catherine Hayes, Professor and Chair of the Department of Public Health and Community Services, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine; Judith Jones, Professor and Chair of the Department of General Dentistry, Boston University School of Dental Medicine; Frank Robinson, Executive Director, Partners for a Healthier Community; Ralph Fuccillo, President, DentaQuest Foundation; Representative John Scibak, Co-Chair, Legislative Oral Health Caucus; Stewart Landers, Senior Program Director, Massachusetts Department of Public Health; Conan Davis, Chief Dental Officer, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; and Libby Mullin, President, Mullin Strategies.
The speakers, who represented a wide range of health advocates, all agreed on a few common themes. Often repeated was the message that oral health is a critical part of overall health. As Harriette Chandler stated, for every one person without medical insurance, there are three who lack dental insurance. She argued that you cannot improve health by focusing on one body part at a time, and that true health care must include dental care.
Everyone also agreed that although many great strides have been made, and there is still much more to do. Health care reform and the passage of Chapter 530 have brought direct benefits to many people – there are more people than ever getting needed oral health care. However, significant disparities still exist, and many people still lack access to preventive and restorative services. A national study revealed that every state expressed concern for their Medicaid-eligible children’s dental care and plan to continue working to improve access. Many ways to improve oral health were presented, including community-based programs, state and national policy reform, education, school-based programs, and workforce.
The room acknowledged that even though oral health is a critical part of overall health, it does not get the attention that it deserves. However, attendees were generally optimistic about the improvements that they could help achieve, feeling empowered to be the change that they want to see.
For more information about getting involved in promoting oral health, please contact the Watch Your Mouth Campaign or the Oral Health Advocacy Taskforce.
-Christine Keeves
I would have to agree with this. There ave been so many studies, about the effects of poor dental health to our body. To have a healthy body, one should have a healthy teeth and gums.
Kudos to Sen. Chandler: as usual, she hit the nail on the head – Where does this strange tradition of separating the teeth, mouth and tongue from the rest of the body? We need to educate parents to the fact that the mouth contains the beginning of the digestive tract,and proper care of that area can prevent a lot of trouble farther down.
Yea, i agree with the statements.
This is true; dental health is connected to our overall health. This is why it is important that we take care of our oral health if we want to keep our bodies healthy as well.