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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Oral health

Improving Oral Health Care Services in Rural America
Discusses the link between oral health and overall health and issues affecting oral health access in rural areas, including shortages of dental providers, differences in dental hygienist scope of practice by state, and insurance coverage. Provides an overview of federal efforts related to rural oral health and offers policy recommendations. Includes a summary of local perspectives from a site visit to Winnsboro Smiles Family Dentistry in rural South Carolina as part of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services meeting.
Date: 12/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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For California's Rural Seniors, Improving Oral Health Care Could Mean Better Health
Highlights data on California's oral health needs for rural seniors, how those needs can impact other health conditions, and offers recommendations for policymakers.
Date: 12/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Families USA
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America's Health Rankings Annual Report 2018
Provides a national and state-by-state overview of population health by analyzing 35 measures to describe health outcomes in the U.S. Provides rural specific information and statistics by residence, obesity, excessive alcohol use, physical inactivity, smoking, diabetes, health status, mental and physical distress.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 12/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: United Health Foundation
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2018 Montana Oral Health Workforce Assessment
Provides an overview of the oral health workforce in Montana. Includes information on the scope of practice, education and continuing education, and distribution within the state for dentists, dental hygienists, dental auxiliaries, and denturists. Covers county-level data on dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) by type. Discusses initiatives to expand dental education in Montana to meet the needs in rural areas.
Date: 09/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
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National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services Meeting Minutes, Charlotte, North Carolina, September 10-12, 2018
Summarizes the 84th meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (NACRHHS), which was held in Charlotte, North Carolina, and focused on rural Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and oral healthcare access. Offers perspectives from a national level and from North and South Carolina, including the work of the Duke Endowment, and summarizes potential policy recommendations.
Date: 09/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Dental Health Aides in Alaska: A Qualitative Assessment to Improve Pediatric Oral Health in Remote Rural Villages
Evaluates the response to oral health disparities and access issues in remote Alaska Native villages by pediatric dental health aides. Draws data from interviews with patient focus groups, providers, and individual community members. Discusses barriers and strengths for pediatric dental health aides, including cultural competency, program sustainability, and expanded access to preventative oral health services.
Author(s): Kirsten Senturia, Louis Fiset, Kim Hort, et al.
Citation: Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 46(4), 416-424
Date: 08/2018
Type: Document
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Strengthening the Oral Health System in Rural Minnesota
Provides an overview of oral health systems in rural Minnesota. Includes information on the current dental workforce, models of care, emerging dental professions, and the cost of dental services. Discusses recommendations to support oral health systems by improving access, increasing the dental workforce, and creating new methods of delivering rural oral healthcare.
Date: 08/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health - Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
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Grantee Sourcebook: Rural Health Network Development Grant Program, 2014-2017
Detailed descriptions of 54 Rural Health Network Development grant projects funded during the 2014-2017 period. Includes an overview of the networks and their impact, a list of grantees by state and focus area, and grantee profiles providing contact information and in-depth project descriptions.
Date: 08/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, National Rural Health Resource Center
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Closing the Gap on Dental HPSAs: Louisiana Oral Health Workforce Assessment
Discusses findings and offers recommendations from an oral health workforce needs assessment in Louisiana. Highlights the state's oral health status of children and adults, access to care, and fluoridation. Reports on surveys and interviews addressing workforce demographics, practice information, perception of oral health access, and Medicaid policies. Appendices include additional data on state Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
Date: 08/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Louisiana Department of Health
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Dental Therapy in Minnesota
Reports on the dental therapist workforce in Minnesota offering information on education, certification, licensure, and practice. Discusses the financial viability of dental practices employing dental therapists and how dental therapists can increase access to oral care in rural areas.
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health
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