August 16, 2024   

Announcement: New CDC Director, Division of Oral Health – Gina Thornton-Evans, DDS, MPH

Dr. Gina Thornton-Evans, D.D.S., M.P.H., was recently appointed as the director of the Division of Oral Health (DOH) in CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. In her new role, she directs programmatic and scientific efforts, as well as policy, partnerships, and communication strategies, to promote oral health equity and fulfill the division’s mission.

Investing in Oral Health: Here’s Why the Time is Now  

Almost half the world’s population – 3.5 billion people – are impacted by oral diseases that not only imperil their ability to eat or speak but also put them at greater risk of and from other systemic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers.

Value-Based Care: Will Dentistry Seize the Opportunity?

The age of value-based care has begun. The result will be an overhaul of how we think about, deliver, and are reimbursed for health care. These sweeping changes represent an extraordinary opportunity for dentistry-not only to define what value-based care means for oral health, but also to reshape health care to include what medicine has so often overlooked: the mouth. 

Justice Department Publishes Final Rule to Improve Access to Medical Care for People with Disabilities

On the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Attorney General Merrick B. Garland signed a final rule under Title II of the ADA to improve access to medical diagnostic equipment (MDE) for people with disabilities.

'We've seen an explosion': 75 per cent of Canadian dental care providers now partaking in federal plan

More than 2.3 million Canadians have been approved to receive coverage, and now more than 75 per cent of dental care providers are participating in the federal government's dental-care program.

States Experience Medicaid Wins for Health Equity

A number of states have experienced Medicaid wins within the dental community over the past few months. From victories like reimbursement rate increases to centralized credentialing to removing annual dental services caps, here are the ways in which some states are making efforts to improve dental Medicaid.

ON-DEMAND WEBINARS

The Benefits of Integrating Oral Health Into Overall Health 

 Part of the Santa Fe Group’s Continuum on the Benefits of Integrating Oral Health Into Overall Health, this 6 sessions series offers webinars to stimulate further thought and collaborations to contribute to health care strategies for integrating oral health into overall health care.

Session 5: The Business of Integration: Paying for Dental Care; Economics, Health Policy, and Integration

This session will highlight current research and industry examples of improved health outcomes and cost savings from provision of dental services, as well as discuss programs that advance integration through provision of primary care services in the dental office.

Session 6: Collaborations to Accelerate Integration

This session will highlight existing integration initiatives and successful collaborations across many sectors. An interactive format will include short presentations with moderated discussion to identify priority lessons to advance integration. Perspectives from many different sectors will be sought to inform a Call to Action.