Legislative Update
We are pleased to share news about the success of oral health related legislation that passed during the 87th Texas Legislature. Bills regarding teledentistry, Medicaid reimbursement for one preventive dental care visit per year, for an adult recipient with a disability enrolled in the STAR+Plus Medicaid managed care program, passed out of both chambers, and funding was included in appropriations for the pilot project regarding adult Medicaid comprehensive dental care that passed last legislative session.
All in all, we feel like this was a successful session for the citizens of Texas and dental providers across the state.
Our many thanks to the individuals, organizations, and legislators that worked on these important issues.
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REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!
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Friday, July 9, 2021
2021 Texas Oral Health Virtual Conference
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM CDT
Lunch will be from 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Conference Scholarships Available
The overall goal of this event is to enable the learner to: increase integrated practice collaboration so that all health providers are aware of the oral-systemic link and how poor oral health affects overall health and well-being.
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the mental health of our population. According to research and a survey done by the CDC, more people have reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, substance abuse issues, stress-related symptoms, and suicidal thoughts since the pandemic began.
Stress and depression are potential causes of inflammation and some studies have linked depression to chronic periodontitis. All health providers are asked to screen for mental health issues in their patients from young children to older adults. The mental health of providers is also important as it may impact the quality of care they provide to patients.
Education and training are needed to increase integrated practice collaboration so that all health providers are aware of the oral-systemic link and how poor oral health is related to overall health and well-being. Integrated interprofessional oral health education will help train front line providers such as primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and emergency physicians to serve as essential members of the oral health workforce, detecting, treating and referring oral health problems in patients who do not receive regular dental care.
To view conference details including course descriptions, speaker information and registration, please visit https://www.texasoralhealthconference.com/schedule.html.
Continuing education credit for multiple disciplines will be provided for this event.
Attendees may earn up to 7.0 continuing dental education hours
and up to 6.0 credits/contact hours for CME, CNE, SW, CHES, Certified in Public Health, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, and Licensed Professional Counselors during this joint providership event.
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Conference Scholarships
We have several Community Health Worker scholarships and one Health Science student scholarship remaining. Register today to secure your complimentary registration.
The first fifty (50) Community Health Workers (promotores de salud) to register for the 2021 Texas Oral Health Conference will receive complimentary conference registration courtesy of the Texas Department of State Health Services Oral Health Improvement Program.
Two (2) Health Science students who register for the 2021 Texas Oral Health Conference will receive complimentary conference registration courtesy of Dr. Ron Acierno, PhD, Professor and Director, UTH Trauma and Resilience Center.
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TSBDE Panel
at the Texas Oral Health Conference
(Submit Your Questions for the TSBDE Panel)
During the 2021 Texas Oral Health Virtual Conference a panel of the Texas State Board Executive Director, General Counsel and Director of Practice and Investigations will discuss legal and ethical issues related to practicing dentistry during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are asking TxOHC members to submit any questions for consideration they would like to ask this esteemed panel by COB Wednesday, June 16, 2021 to B.Stewart@txohc.org. |
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Registration is Open
TxOHC Annual Member Meeting
July 30, 2021 from 12:00 - 2:00 PM CDT
Featuring Dr. Rhonda Stokley, DDS
presenting the Texas Oral Health State of the State Update.
Meeting is complimentary, but registration is required.
Register Here
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2021 OPEN Academy
 The Oral Health Progress and Equity Network (OPEN) team has carved out time on the pre-conference day of OPEN Academy (6/22) for state meetings. Virtual meeting rooms will be available on the Bizzabo platform (the OPEN Academy meeting site) from 1:00 to 2:00 PM CDT on Tuesday, June 22 for each state to meet. You will need to register for the conference in order to gain access to the meeting links. Registration is complimentary if you are an OPEN member and if you are not a current member, I encourage you to join since membership is free. It’s a wonderful way to connect with others across the U.S. that share your same interest and work.
We would like to know in advance what topic or topics you wish to discuss so please send us your ideas. This could include a joint advocacy effort, statewide planning, starting a collective project, or simply talking about current opportunities or challenges in our state. Please also confirm you will attend, so we know how many to expect. Our state OPEN representative is Magda de la Torre and our grassroots representative is Dr. Shirley Miranda.
Please register to join us for the OPEN Academy today and you may visit here for a sneak peek at the agenda!
We’re looking forward to seeing you next week.
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New JADA report
finds the COVID-19 rate among dentists is lower than other healthcare workers
The American Dental Association (ADA) Health Policy Institute (HPI) released a comprehensive study which found dentists have a low COVID infection rate, far below that of other healthcare workers such as physicians and nurses.
The study highlights only a 2.6% cumulative infection rate, with monthly incidence rates ranging from 0.2% to 1.1%. The study shows that strengthened infection control and PPE is working. This report is a continuation of the first large-scale report and publication of U.S. dentists’ infection rates and infection control practices for COVID-19, published in October of 2020.
Read more about the article below.
COVID-2019 among dentists in the United States
A 6-month longitudinal report of accumulative prevalence and incidence
https://jada.ada.org/article/S0002-8177(21)00204-X/fulltext
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New Study on Tooth Loss
"Causal Effect of Tooth Loss on Functional Capacity in Older Adults in England: A Natural Experiment" in the May 2021 Journal of the American Geriatrics Society analyzed health data from England investigating the causal effect of tooth loss on the instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) among older adults in England.
Below is an excerpt from the abstract :
"Being exposed to fluoridated water was associated with having more natural teeth in later life (coefficient: 0.726; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.311, 1.142; F = 11.749). Retaining one more natural tooth reduced the probability of having a limitation in the [instrumental activities of daily living] by 3.1 percentage points."
Read the abstract here.
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Donate to TxOHC
Make plans to give to your favorite nonprofit either with AmazonSmile by choosing TxOHC as your cause as you do your online shopping, or by the donation button below.
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Many Thanks To Our Coalition Partners!
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