• Watch Your Mouth Massachusetts: The Watch Your Mouth Coalition Is Working In Massachusetts, New Hampshire And Maine To Make Children's Oral Health A Priority. Objectives of the Watch Your Mouth Coalition are to Educate the public that tooth decay is the most common childhood disease that can cause diminished school performance and poor overall health. WYM advocates for wider access to preventive services, such as dental sealants and fluoride, and regular dental exams for all children.
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Newsletter

Vol. 4, issue 2
February 2009

Upcoming Events

Greetings!

This month is Children's Dental Health Month and it's been quite a month so far! We kicked off February by celebrating the Fourth Annual Oral Health Heroes event at the Massachusetts State House. At the event, we honored legislative and community heroes dedicated to improving oral health in the Commonwealth. It was great to see many of you at the event. If you missed out on the fun, scroll down to read more about the celebration.

This month's newsletter edition is packed with new events and resources for Children's Dental Health Month, which you can find on the left side of the page. Also in this edition, we share with you:

  • Ideas on how you can observe Children's Dental Health month
  • Information about the recently implemented Fluoride Varnish program
  • This month's partner spotlight: Federation for Children with Special Needs

Celebrating Oral Health Through Our Heroes and Accomplishments: Fourth Annual Oral Health Heroes Event

Heroes

On February 2nd, the Watch Your Mouth Campaign honored leaders in Massachusetts who have made an impact on the state of oral health of the Commonwealth at the Fourth Annual Oral Health Heroes Event. Because dental decay is the most common chronic childhood disease and among the most neglected, over 150 advocates, legislators and consumers were in attendance to ensure that oral health remains a statewide policy and community priority.

The event, sponsored by the Oral Health Foundation and the Legislative Oral Health Caucus, honored Senate President Therese Murray (D- Plymouth) and Representative William Smitty Pignatelli (D- Lenox) from the Massachusetts State Legislature, Thomas Dehner who serves as the Director of Medicaid at the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and Dr. Joel Pearlman, Associate Chief Dentist of Tufts Dental Facilities Serving Persons with Special Needs. The event had many exciting speakers including Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, John Auerbach, who addressed the importance of early access to preventive care and Vice President of the Massachusetts' Teachers Association, Paul Toner, who spoke about the importance of good oral health and improved achievement in school.

The Watch Your Mouth Campaign also extends their gratitude and recognition to the 2008 Community Hero nominees for their dedication to improving oral health in Massachusetts. The nominees are:

  • Elaine Gould (Cambridge Health Alliance)
  • Ellen Gould (Forsyth Kids School-Based Cavity Prevention Program)
  • Dr. Giuseppina Romano-Clarke (Dorchester House Multi-Service Center)
  • Kool Smiles New Bedford
  • Linda Johnson (Health Across the Commonwealth Program)
  • Mary Kellerman (Cambridge Health Alliance)
  • Dr. Timothy Martinez (MassHealth Dental Program)

Once again, congratulations to our heroes for championing oral health in their communities and in the Commonwealth.

February is Children's Dental Health Month

children

Too few citizens of our commonwealth know this important fact: Dental disease is the most common chronic childhood disease - 5 times more common than asthma. The good news is that unlike other social problems we face, there are community-based solutions that can put an end to this disease. Celebrate Children's Dental Health Month with the Watch Your Mouth campaign with these three ways to speak up for children's oral health:

1. Get the word out. Watch Your Mouth can provide you with educational materials and information on oral health to educate your community about dental disease and the importance of prevention. We have fact sheets, posters, brochures, buttons and stickers that you can disseminate in your community such as at work, your doctor's office or the public library.

2. Speak to the media. Write a "Letter to the Editor "or an "Opinion-Editorial" on why good oral health leads to good overall health and draw attention on local programs that provide preventive oral health screenings and services that can serve as a model for other cities and towns. The staff at Watch Your Mouth campaign can help you get started.

3. Educate the public about oral health at your local community event or health fair.Whether it's a health fair, a conference or a meeting, we have free Watch Your Mouth materials you can distribute at your next community function. Check out these local events celebrating Children's Dental Health Month:

  • ForsythKids, Go Kids! Oral Health. Call 617.426.6500 for more information.(Boston Children's Museum, February 6, 2009)
  • Partner's For a Healthier Community Oral Health Heroes Event. Call 413.794.7739 for more information ( Springfield City Hall, February 6, 2009)
  • Tri-County Community of Oral Health Excellence Youth at the Mall Night. Call 508.771.1375 for more information. (Cape Cod, MA, Date TBA)

For more information about Children's Dental Health Month and what you can do, contact Czarina Biton at biton@hcfama.org or 617.275.2838.

Help Keep Kids Healthy and Get Reimbursed For It

Checkup

by Dr. Hugh Silk, MD

Dental decay remains the most common chronic infectious disease of childhood. In Massachusetts, a recent survey from the Catalyst Institute found that nearly one half of third-graders have experienced tooth decay and one-quarter of these children are currently living with decay and infections that require immediate care. Knowing this, we need to be creative in ways to ensure that children can get the preventive treatments they need.

The good news is that MassHealth (Massachusetts' Medicaid Program) is now reimbursing medical providers for fluoride varnish applications in their offices. This strategy has been successfully adopted in over 20 other states.

Providers receive fluoride varnish reimbursements at $26 per treatment. Fluoride varnish treatments can be performed at well child visits or a separate visit. There is no limit to fluoride varnish treatments yearly. However, two applications per year is advantageous and high risk patients can benefit from a treatment every 3 months. Providers who want to apply fluoride varnish to their MassHealth patients ages 6 months to 21 years MUST complete an approved training module. "Smiles for Life" from the Society of Teachers in Family Medicine (STFM) can be found on-line.

The training provides double CME credit (2 credits for 1 hr; evidence-based) for health professionals. The web site has helpful materials for the provider's office including:

  • Billing tips
  • Office strategies for maximizing efficiency with varnish application
  • How to order fluoride varnish
  • And more!

We are conducting a study to evaluate which format is best for physicians to learn to provide fluoride varnish in their office. The benefits of joining our study include:

  • Additional CME credits
  • A chance for a free lunch and training for your entire staff
  • Entered in a drawing for a chance to win an iPOD
  • Helping Massachusetts learn how best to train your colleagues

Dental decay continues to plague children across Massachusetts. An infected mouth is prone to pain, impairs a child's ability to eat and grow, and to participate in learning and playing. You have the chance to make a difference in stamping out an easily preventable disease. If you are interested in participating in this study, contact Hugh Silk at silkh@ummhc.org or 508-334- 8846.

February Partner Spotlight: Federation for Children with Special Needs

By Beth Dworetzky, Mass Family Voices Project

FCSN

The Federation for Children with Special Needs is a non-profit, parent-run center. Established in 1974, with the purpose of helping families with children with special needs understand the impact of the new Massachusetts special education law, the Federation has since expanded to include a variety of early education, education and special needs and healthcare projects. Staff not only helps families, schools and other organizations understand how to work in partnership to ensure all children succeed in school, they also assist families with children with a broad range of special needs and disabilities, professionals, and others navigate a variety of service and support systems. For example, the Parent Training and Information (PTI) project provides individual assistance and workshops so families can learn about state and federal special education laws, and their children's rights to a free and appropriate public education. Family TIES of Massachusetts is a statewide parent-to-parent information and support network for families of children with disabilities, special healthcare needs, or chronic illnesses. The Massachusetts Family-to-Family Health Information Center assists families in understanding healthcare financing options for children and youth with special healthcare needs.

The Federation's hosts an annual Visions of Community Conference. This statewide event will take place on Saturday, March 14, 2009 at the World Trade Center in Boston. It is a great time to learn about all the Federation projects, meet the staff, attend workshops (in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Cantonese), and network. This year also marks the 35th birthday of the Federation, which will be celebrated at a Gala event on Friday, May 1, 2009 at the Seaport Hotel in Boston.

To learn more about the Federation projects and how they can assist your family, Visions of Community, and the Gala, call 617-236-7210 or visit www.fcsn.org.

Thanks,

Czarina



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