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CDC-Previously Funded States
2003–2008 Cooperative Agreements
The CDC provided $3.8 million in
cooperative agreement funding to 12 states and the Republic of Palau to
strengthen their oral health programs and reduce inequalities in the
oral health of their residents. The funding, begun in 2003 after 2 years
of pilot projects and renewable for up to 5 years, is designed to
improve basic state oral health services, including support for program
leadership and staff, monitoring oral health risk factors, and
developing and evaluating prevention programs. The following are updates
on project implementation.
- Alaska now has a well-established fluoridation program management system.
Recent achievements include improved tracking of fluoridation results, a
statewide assessment of equipment needs, improved technical assistance
to communities, and training for rural water operators on fluoridation
techniques and benefits. The state is developing its first comprehensive
statewide oral disease burden document using data from the first ever
statewide oral survey of schoolchildren. The Alaska burden document will
be published in 2007. In addition, two state oral health coalitions
recently merged and have completed a draft of the state oral health plan
that goes beyond Healthy People 2010 goals.
- Arkansas
has a well-established statewide coalition, Smiles AR: US, that actively
supports community water fluoridation, healthy snacks in schools, and
more efficient methods for conducting oral health screenings. The state
has developed a document describing the state burden of oral disease,
implemented a state oral health plan, and continues to enhance its
statewide oral disease surveillance system. Arkansas has obtained
numerous grants from private foundations to support its Seal the State
in 2008 project to provide sealants, including a grant of more than
$200,000 from the Daughters of Charity and a grant from Oral Health
America for supplies and equipment. The Arkansas program continues to
promote expanding water fluoridation, training water plant operators,
and monitoring the quality of fluoridation efforts, including periodic
facility inspections.
- Colorado
as part of its oral health surveillance system, has partnered with the
state obesity program to collect body mass index data as part of the
2006 oral health survey of schoolchildren. The state continues to
implement a preventive oral health program targeting high-risk children
and adults. Colorado has hired a part-time evaluation specialist to
conduct routine program evaluations to improve the program. The state
coalition has a facilitator and administrative assistant. Colorado
continues to make progress toward the Healthy People 2010 dental
sealant objective by increasing the scope of its school sealant program
and recently implemented CDC SEALS software to improve program
management and measure program efficiency and effectiveness.
- Illinois
has developed a statewide oral health surveillance system to collect and
monitor data about the oral health of its residents. A published report
of the burden of oral disease provides data on oral disease levels,
disparities, and unmet dental needs. The program has established IFLOSS,
a statewide oral health coalition that brings public and private
partners together to work toward common goals. The state oral health
plan is being revised and updated. The program has identified
opportunities to work with policy makers to improve the oral health of
state residents. One result is a legislative mandate that requires
children entering school at kindergarten, second and sixth grades to
have a dental examination. A fluoridation program data manager is
coordinating with community partners to improve monitoring through the
Water Fluoridation Reporting System. A dental sealant program
coordinator assists communities with providing sealants for
schoolchildren, and is planning to implement CDC SEALS software to
analyze the cost-effectiveness of sealant programs.
- Michigan
has
an active statewide oral health coalition that has brought together
public and private partners to develop a state plan addressing the
state’s oral health needs. The coalition facilitates annual forums that
provide networking opportunities and education. Coalition workgroups
concentrate efforts around policy development, resources, assessment,
and promotion. A survey of the oral health status of school children is
complete and the report, Count Your Smiles, has been published.
The data have been incorporated into a report on the burden of oral
disease to be used for planning and policy development. Michigan’s
program has succeeded in building state oral health infrastructure
through program leadership, new coordination for fluoridation and school
sealant activity, and epidemiology support.
- Nevada
has
completed the core components of infrastructure development and is
moving into more advanced actions to promote oral health for all
Nevadans using these valuable resources. The program has developed a
state oral health plan with supporting regional and community action
plans. Annual summits provide the opportunity for evaluating efforts and
conducting strategic planning among the two large oral health coalitions
and the smaller community and regional groups. The Clark County school
system’s participation in the school-based and school-linked dental
sealant program has increased the presence of sealants in children
statewide from 33% in 2003 to 49% in 2006, nearly reaching the
Healthy People 2010 objective of 50%. Nevada plans to continue
expanding the reach and influence of its program to address oral health
needs across the lifespan and promote the sustainability and
institutionalization of the oral health program.
- New York
has
developed a county-specific surveillance system to monitor trends in
oral diseases and dental services use, and has provided technical
assistance and training to local agencies on oral health surveillance.
In collaboration with key stakeholders, the state has developed a 5-year
oral health plan and has established a statewide coalition to promote
the importance of oral health and improve the quality of prevention
programs. Through the coalition and in collaboration with the state of
New York’s Center for Community Health and the Division of Family
Health, the state also developed a new resource guide, Oral Health
Care during Pregnancy and Early Childhood Practice. New York is
conducting targeted inspections of fluoridation systems and is training
water operators in system maintenance to enable them to improve systems
to monitor fluoridation quality. The New York oral health program also
will evaluate the state dental sealant program to assess causal
attribution, geographic variation, program efficacy, and quality.
- North Dakota
has recently hired a new oral health program director and an oral health
program coordinator. It has developed a state burden document
demonstrating the burden of oral disease in the state, and have worked
through their oral health coalition to develop and implement a state
oral health plan. In 2006, North Dakota held a statewide oral health
summit to release its state plan and burden document. The state
continues to improve its oral health surveillance system.
- Oregon
has used a community-based process over a 2-year period to initiate and
establish a state oral health plan. This process was finalized in 2006
with a statewide summit that developed priorities for action and formed
the state oral health coalition. Oregon will be conducting its periodic
statewide oral health assessment of schoolchildren in 2007. The oral
health program has established a state oral health surveillance system.
The program has been active in promoting community water fluoridation
and is working to improve monitoring and reporting mechanisms through
the CDC Water Fluoridation Reporting System. The state developed a
strategic plan for implementing school-based or school-linked dental
sealant programs. The program hopes to gain sustainability by
introducing additional dental sealant programs to targeted schools and
communities through a community readiness process.
- The
Republic of
Palau oral health program is participating in the Palau National
Public Health Plan. The National Oral Health Plan will be integrated
into the larger plan. Working groups representing dentists and dental
auxiliaries have been created to determine the direction of workforce
development in Palau. Providing dental services continues to be a
challenge. Palau will maintain and update its Burden of Oral Disease
Document. The program is an active member of other collaborations such
as the Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Planning Group, Tobacco
Free Coalition, Head Start Health Advisory, and Diabetes Collaborative.
The program with the Division of Environmental Health conducted a water
usage survey. This resulted in support for fluoridation of locally
bottled water. The main water bottling company now sells fluoridated
water.
- Rhode Island
has increased program capacity and is working to improve program
integration between oral health and primary care within the state health
department. The program has partnered successfully with internal and
external organizations to leverage resources and coordinate oral health
activities. Examples include the expanding school-based and
school-linked sealant programs, coordinating water fluoridation
activities, disseminating information to water operators and the public,
and strengthening the statewide oral health coalition. Program
visibility has increased and dissemination of prevention information has
been improved through a redesign of the program’s Web site. The program
is developing a state oral health plan, oral disease burden document,
and oral disease surveillance plan; completion of these documents is
expected in early 2007. The program is incorporating evaluation into
program activities to improve and sustain program efforts. It will
conduct an oral health survey of schoolchildren during the 2006–2007
school year.
- South Carolina
has recently hired a new state oral health program director and oral
health program coordinator. It continues to support the collaboration of
the South Carolina Oral Health Advisory Council and the Oral Health
Coalition to establish and implement a 5-year state plan to address oral
health policy, infrastructure, workforce, and access needs. South
Carolina continues to strengthen its surveillance system and plans to
use fluoridation data to help identify systems in need of inspection and
equipment replacement through a mini-grant program. The state continues
to expand public-private partnerships to provide sealants through
school-based dental programs and has implemented an evaluation of the
state school program initiative.
- Texas
has
developed its first-ever statewide, stakeholder-developed oral health
plan and has begun to implement regular evaluation to ensure successful
implementation. Increased capacity within the oral health program has
allowed the program to broaden its partnerships and improve the state
surveillance system to address oral health issues across the lifespan.
Texas has established a statewide oral health coalition to address oral
health disparities among Texans and is working to strengthen the
coalition and promote its sustainability. The state plans to promote the
growth of school-based and school-linked dental sealant programs and
increase the capacity of the oral health program to monitor and expand
community water fluoridation programs. The program has collaboratively
developed and published its first comprehensive oral disease burden
document.
Related Links
Historical Document
Content source:
Division of Oral Health,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion |
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