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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Oral health

Oral Health: Targeting Rural Areas
Compiles articles from a special issue of the Texas Public Health Journal focusing on rural oral health in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. Covers emergency department use in Texas for oral health needs in rural versus urban counties, geriatric oral health and workforce options such as teledentistry, a Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment project under a state waiver targeting rural communities, partnerships to reach underserved areas and pregnant women, and oral health initiatives in Louisiana and Oklahoma.
Citation: Texas Public Health Journal, 71(2), 2-16
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Texas Public Health Association
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Indiana Primary Care Needs Assessment, 2019
Summarizes 2015-2018 efforts to identify gaps in healthcare access and allocate resources to communities in greatest need. Lists Primary Care, Mental, and Dental Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designations obtained between 2015 and 2018. Identifies population health priorities related to infant mortality, obesity, smoking, and substance misuse in Indiana.
Author(s): Chipo Chavanduka, Sierra Vaughn, Hannah Maxey
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy
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Consumer Survey of Barriers to and Facilitators of Access to Oral Health Services
Results of a 2018 survey of U.S. adults to examine factors contributing to oral health disparities. Features statistics including geographic distribution of respondents and distribution of self-reported need for dental care, with breakdowns by rural, suburban, or urban location.
Author(s): Simona Surdu, Margaret Langelier, Sohini Dhar, Mia Stufflebeam
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Oral Health Workforce Research Center
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Drilling Down on Dental Coverage and Costs for Medicare Beneficiaries
Examines the oral health of Medicare beneficiaries. Addresses the costs of not obtaining dental care, use of dental services, current sources of dental coverage, and out-of-pocket spending. Includes rural/urban breakdowns.
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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2017 Vermont Dentists by Rational Service Areas: Population per FTE
County level map of dentists by population service area in the state of Vermont.
Date: 02/2019
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Vermont Department of Health
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Case Studies of 6 Safety Net Organizations That Integrate Oral and Mental/Behavioral Health With Primary Care Services
Features an analysis of 6 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) integrating oral health and behavioral health with primary care across the country. Features one rural example.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): M. Langelier, S. Surdu, N. Goodwin
Date: 02/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Oral Health Workforce Research Center
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Delivery of Preventive Oral Health Services by Rurality: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
Examines the integration of oral health and primary care as a method of increasing access to preventive oral health services for children under age 6 using 2012-2014 Medicaid claims data from 39 states. Includes patient characteristics, such as age, sex, and poverty level, as well as healthcare utilization rates, with breakdowns by metro and nonmetro counties.
Author(s): Caroline K. Geiger, Ashley M. Kranz, Andrew W. Dick, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 35(1), 3-11
Date: 01/2019
Type: Document
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Narrowing the Rural Oral Healthcare Gap: The 2017 Rural Interprofessional Oral Health Practice Symposium
Discusses a 2017 symposium on interprofessional oral health practice in rural communities. Details the current state of interprofessional practice, as well as goals for the future. Discusses the results of a number of survey questions given to the symposium participants.
Author(s): Sean G. Boynes, Ce Ce Heyward, Christine Kenney, et al.
Citation: BMC Oral Health, 18(Supplement 1), 212
Date: 12/2018
Type: Document
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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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