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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Oral health

Rural Veterans' Dental Utilization, BRFSS, 2014
Highlight study on the dental utilization rates for rural veterans. Explores whether the rural veterans are more likely to experience negative oral health outcomes, such as missing teeth. Breaks down data by age, educational attainment, and rural versus urban location, among other factors.
Author(s): R. Constance Wiener, Chan Shen, Usha Sambamoorthi, Patricia A. Findley
Citation: Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 77(4), 383-392
Date: 09/2017
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Innovations in Rural Health System Development: Federally Qualified Health Center Initiatives
Reports on Maine's Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Discusses strategies for workforce recruitment and retention, serving high-need patient populations, addressing critical community needs, and providing services that address the social determinants of health. Provides various examples of programs from across the state.
Author(s): Sara Kahn-Troster, Amanda Burgess, Andrew Coburn
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organizations: Catherine Cutler Institute, Maine Health Access Foundation
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Trends in the Development of the Dental Service Organization Model: Implications for the Oral Health Workforce and Access to Services
Results of a 2017 survey of dental service organizations, which often build new practices in underserved and rural areas, and case studies of 6 dental support organizations providing general or specialty dentistry in North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Florida, and Massachusetts.
Author(s): Margaret Langelier, Shen Wang, Simona Surdu, Elizabeth Mertz, Cynthia Wides
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Health Workforce Studies, Oral Health Workforce Research Center
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An Assessment of Mobile and Portable Dentistry Programs to Improve Population Oral Health
Describes configurations of portable and mobile dental programs including models and applications, discusses targeted populations, details variations in regulations by state, and examines outcomes of preventive interventions in rural areas. Includes case studies of 7 programs initiated to improve access in rural areas.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Margaret Langelier, Jean Moore, Rachel Carter, et al.
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organization: Oral Health Workforce Research Center
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Dental Utilization for Communities Served by Dental Therapists in Alaska's Yukon Kuskokwim Delta: Findings from an Observational Quantitative Study
Presents results from a program evaluation designed to assess the impact of dental therapists on dental utilization and oral health outcomes in the Yukon Kuskokwim (YK) Delta of Alaska. Examines utilization and outcomes based on total dental therapist treatment days, presents results for both child and adult populations, and focuses on three primary measures: preventive dental care use, extraction of teeth, and dental care under general anesthesia.
Author(s): Donald L. Chi, Dane Lenaker, Lloyd Mancl, et al.
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organization: University of Washington
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Health Care Access and Utilization Among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Persons in the United States, 2014
Provides detailed statistics on healthcare access and utilization for the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) population as a whole, as well as multiple- and single-race NHPI populations, with comparisons to other groups and to the U.S. population. Topics addressed include health insurance coverage, usual place of care, emergency department visits, delayed care due to cost, dentist visits, influenza and pneumococcal vaccination, and HIV screening.
Author(s): Carla E. Zelaya, Adena M. Galinsky, Catherine Simile, Patricia M. Barnes
Citation: Vital and Health Statistics, 3(41)
Date: 08/2017
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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A Workforce Strategy for Reducing Oral Health Disparities: Dental Therapists
Presents a history of dental therapy as a workforce strategy, from development to implementation. Examines the states and tribal nations that have implemented dental therapists as a means to improve oral healthcare access.
Author(s): Jane Koppelman, Rebecca Singer-Cohen
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 107(Suppl 1), S13-S17
Date: 06/2017
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Access to Dental Care Remains a Challenge for Millions of Michiganders
Report reevaluates a study on oral healthcare access in Michigan. Breaks down key takeaways from the study, such as rates of Medicaid enrolled dentists, access for low-income populations, and dentist distribution.
Date: 05/2017
Sponsoring organization: Pew
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The Oral Health of Montana's Head Start Children, 2016
Describes the prevalence of tooth decay among Montana children aged three to five years enrolled in Head Start compared to children aged three to five years in the general U.S. population from 2015 to 2016. Includes data on decay experience and untreated decay for Montana Head Start children aged three to five years from 2015 to 2016 by gender, race and ethnicity, and rurality.
Date: 04/2017
Sponsoring organization: Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
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The Oral Health of American Indian and Alaska Native Children Aged 6-9 Years: Results of the 2016-2017 IHS Oral Health Survey
Provides an overview of the oral health status of American Indian and Alaska Native children in kindergarten through third grad using data from the 2016-2017 Indian Health Service (IHS) oral health surveillance survey.
Author(s): Kathy R. Phipps, Timothy L. Ricks
Date: 04/2017
Sponsoring organization: Indian Health Service
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