SNS to Partner with NNOHA

The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA), the nationwide organization of over 1,000 Health Center dental providers and supporters, including dental directors, will be partnering with the DentaQuest Institute's Safety Net Solutions program to provide technical assistance to Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) dental programs throughout the United States and to develop a professional certification and career development program for dental directors of safety net health centers and safety net technical consultants.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Healthy People 2010 framework set a goal of increasing the proportion of children who have dental sealants on their molar teeth to 50%. Sealant rates in populations with the highest risk of disease are very low. As the chart shows, only a handful of states have reached this goal.

The DentaQuest Institute has made sealants the focus of its 2010 quality improvement project. In 2008, the ADA writes, "sealants are under used, particularly among those at high risk of experiencing caries; that population includes children in lower-income and certain racial and ethnic groups (2008)." "We hope this quality improvement initiative will help to close this gap," explains Brian Souza, Managing Director of the DentaQuest Institute. Read more...

Electronic dental information systems are changing the way safety net dental providers schedule appointments, manage patient records, plan treatments, and coordinate medical and dental services. With the enhanced efficiency, productivity and practicality of fully integrated systems, safety net clinics are better able to track quality indicators, improve clinical and operational workflows, and educate their patients for improved oral health.

The selection and implementation of new technology needs to be managed carefully or the solution becomes difficult, costly, and time consuming to the safety net clinic. "Nonetheless," says Manny Molina, Director of IT for the Institute's Safety Net Solutions program, "the growing availability of public and private financial support for Health Information Technology (HIT) systems makes this a good time for safety net dental clinics to consider one for their practice." Read more...

The DentaQuest Institute's Early Childhood Caries Quality Improvement team is nearing the conclusion of the first clinical phase of the study in September.

"Preliminary data from one or both clinical sites is showing a reduction of new cavitation and a reduction in pain reported," says Dr. Alex White, Director of Analytics for the DentaQuest Institute. "Both sites are also meeting the goal targets for a reduction in operating room utilization."

Since the fall of 2008, over 450 children have been enrolled, treated and followed. Read more...

As Chief Dental Officer at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resource and Service Administration (HRSA), Dr. Jay Anderson is the point person for the improvement of oral health programs in the nation's health center system. He oversees oral health programming and the recruitment and career development of dentists and other oral health professionals within HRSA, and advises HRSA's administrator, Mary K. Wakefield on all matters relating to oral health access and quality. But it is the challenge of ensuring access to care for the millions of at-risk Americans who depend on safety net dental clinics and health centers that consumes the lion's share of Dr. Anderson's time.

Health centers serve the essential role of delivering primary and preventive care to patients regardless of their ability to pay. "Patients visiting health centers typically have the highest levels of oral disease and are the least able to access care," says Dr. Anderson. "Improving access to dental care is a core to our work to expand the health center network."

"I first learned of Safety Net Solutions in 2007 from the Oral Health in Massachusetts Health Centers publication," recalls Dr. Anderson. " I thought the systematic analysis of the challenges health centers face in providing access to quality oral health care was accurately and fairly assessed. I have been impressed with the leadership and the technology developed by SNS to assist health centers nationwide to improve and expand the capacity to serve the oral healthcare needs of high-risk populations. SNS is a leader in developing and implementing program improvement strategies that can significantly impact the effectiveness and efficiency of safety net dental programs."

HRSA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the principal agency charged with increasing access to health care for those who are medically underserved. HRSA's programmatic portfolio includes a range of programs or initiatives designed to increase access to care, improve quality, and safeguard the health and well-being of the nation's most vulnerable populations. Expansion of access to oral health services is one of HRSA's top priorities. SNS's leadership and commitment to improving health center oral health programs complements HRSA's mission.