A New Look for the Blog and Oral Health News

The blog has a new look!  I hope you find it easier to get around and find what you want.  Contact me and let me know what you think.  Or leave a comment.  We’re still making a few adjustments (I don’t have my picture up yet!), so bear with us a little longer.

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, so I thought I’d post some appropriate resources.

The Wisconsin Dental Association Foundation is accepting proposals through August 31 for their 2011 Grant Program.  The Program provides “financial support to efforts aimed at providing dental care to the underserved.”  They will award grants up to $10,000 to community-based, not-for-profit, oral health promotion programs.  This is a great opportunity to fund your oral health outreach and education project.  And you’ll have a good lead time to prepare your proposal.

First Choice Dental, with several offices in Dane County, is offering free mouth guards to 500 student athletes to reduce dental injuries.  Call them at 608-848-2700 through March 31 to schedule a fitting.

Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin, through their children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) program, is providing educational seminars and clinical trainings for dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants who work with special needs patients.  Dr. Allison Dowd, chief of Pediatric Dentistry at the Max Pohle Dental Clinic in Meriter Hospital in Madison, will provide the training.  contact Diane Flanagan, (414) 292-4015, for more information.  The Alliance has numerous online resources covering many health areas.

The WI Department of Health Services just released a map and analysis of dentist shortages in the State.  In 2007 (the more recent year), not a single county met the minimum federally recommended number of dentists per low-income population and 69 of 72 counties had “serious” shortages of dentists who provided general dental care to low-income populations.  Further evidence of the increasing health care workforce problem in the State.

The South Dakota Department of Health has partnered with several organizations, including Delta Dental and McDonalds, for the Dakota Smiles Mobile Dental Program.  This dental office on wheels has provided dental care to over 8,000 underserved children across South Dakota.  This seems an effective, successful method of addressing the dental care shortage in rural communities.

February 9, 2010 · KJacobson · No Comments
Tags: , , , , ,  · Posted in: Grant Advice, Reports and Studies, Training and Tools

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