- 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. 2, issue 8
October 2007
Greetings!
October is here, and it's time to get your fall season started with some great New England traditions. This means apple picking, state fairs and pumpkin carving. October is also a time to celebrate Children's Health Month, which is an opportunity for communities to work together to nurture a healthy environment for all children.
This month, we have two articles about the link of oral health to overall health. In our first, we'll read about the connection between oral health status and premature births, while the other is an update on how important the State Children's Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) is to many children in America. Also, we've brought back the Framing 101 tips for advocates. Let us know if you have specific questions we can address! Finally, we'll highlight our partner of the month: Partners for a Healthier Community and introduce you to our newest staff member, Courtney Chelo.
The Connection of Oral Health and Overall Health: The Link Between Gum Disease and Premature Births
The importance of the mouth and its connection to the rest of the body cannot be stressed enough. Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop in 2000 said it best: "You are not healthy without good oral health. Oral health is part of general health and it can affect your overall health and your quality of life."
Extensive research has shown the associations between dental disease and poor health outcomes. One that has been widely researched is the association between periodontal (or gum) disease and the delivery of preterm, low birth weight babies. According to the American Academy of Periodontology, "Pregnant women who have periodontal disease may be seven times more likely to have a baby that is born too early and too small." To translate, when the mouth is not healthy, the rest of your body won't be either. Fortunately, periodontal disease is almost entirely preventable, but only when preventive care and access to health insurance is available. That is why preventive measures must start early in life and be widely available in our communities to prevent oral health problems like gum disease.
This November the March of Dimes is holding two day- long Prematurity Summits in Massachusetts. These sessions, held one day in Boston and another in Springfield will focus on the varied connections between health and premature births, including a section on oral health. To read more about how oral health is linked to premature births, you can read these articles from The New York Times and the American Academy of Periodontology.
A Vote for SCHIP is a Vote for Children's Oral Health
The State Children's Health Insurance Plan, also known as SCHIP, was created in 1997 to ensure that all children in the U.S. have access to health insurance. A decade later, the budget for this important program has not been able to keep pace with the need for care. The result of this has meant many of the children targeted by the program have not been able to access necessary health services, including dental care. It has been widely reported that this federal program needs to be reauthorized by Congress this year. Knowing this opportunity was on the horizon, both Senate and House lawmakers took the opportunity to restructure the program and have voted to increase its funding for an additional five years. This bill was passed by both the House and the Senate; however the president vetoed the bill this week. If our national decision-makers can work together to override this veto thousands of children will be reached with health and dental care.
SCHIP is important to us because it includes many important dental benefits for children. Here is a brief summary of what is proposed to be included in SCHIP, according to the Children's Dental Health Project.
1. Requiring dental services to prevent disease, promote oral health and treat emergency conditions
2. Making sure that SCHIP covers dental care
3. Providing dental education for parents of newborns
4. Making sure that dental services are available at community health centers
5. Reporting information to keep track of who receives oral health care
6. Increasing access of dental providers for Medicaid and SCHIP enrollees
7. Including dental requirements to improve the quality of life for children
8. Make recommendations to address barriers to access to oral health care
For more information on the dental benefits included in the SCHIP bill passed by Congress, please visit the Children's Dental Health Project.
October Partner Spotlight: Partners for a Healthier Community
Partners for a Healthier Community was founded eleven years ago by concerned community leaders from many organizations in Springfield. They came together to discuss how they could positively affect the health of their city. The result of this dialogue became Partners for a Healthier Community.
Partners for a Healthier Community has spearheaded the BEST (Bringing Early Education, Screening and Treatment) Oral Health program which serves infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children in Hampden County. The BEST program provides preventative dental measures through community partners, Tufts Community Dental Program, and the Oral Health Impact Project. Embedding BEST within the school setting connects the children to necessary oral health education, related preventive and restorative dental measures, at times, in a place, and in a way that are convenient and accessible to families.
To date BEST has trained 528 child care staff in the Open Wide Training model for non-dental professionals, representing over 51 Early Care providers and Education Centers. A variety of preventive dental measures has been provided to 41 of these centers. The total target population for children enrolled in preschool programs across Hampden Country is 7,000 children. To learn more about the BEST Oral Health program please contact Joan Lowbridge at 413-794-1455 or email joan.lowbridge@bhs.org.
Welcome Courtney Chelo!
Please join me in welcoming Courtney Chelo, the new Community Organizer for our Oral Health Initiatives! Courtney has a degree in Environmental & Resource Economics and English from the University of New Hampshire. She joins us with experience working in communities as an organizer for Envirocitizen in New Hampshire and Clean Water Action in Rhode Island. Please feel free to contact Courtney at cchelo@hcfama.org or 617.275.2935 if you have any questions or just want to say hi.
We are happy to keep you updated on upcoming events and celebrations! If your organization has or know of an event celebrating children's health, especially oral health, please feel free to email this information to Czarina Biton at biton@hcfama.org and it will be featured in the Watch Your Mouth newsletter.
Many Thanks,
Czarina Biton
Previous Newsletters
Watch Your Mouth Massachusetts is supported by grants from the Oral Health Foundation and Dental Services of Massachusetts.
Watch Your Mouth Coalition.
