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Oral Health

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The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services was awarded a Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Cooperative Agreement for an Oral Health Program by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2003. The grant funds a state dental officer and the infrastructure to provide oral health leadership in the state.

February News Flash

• CDC spotlights 65 years of Community Water Fluoridation: Fluoridation of community water to prevent dental decay has been recognized as One of the Ten Leading Public Health Achievements of the 20th Century

• New Flash Archives

Major focus areas for the cooperative agreement include:

• Develop a state oral health surveillance system;
• Convene a broad based oral health coalition to provide an advisory role for the oral health program and improve coordination/collaboration between public and private health systems that deliver and/or fund oral health services;
• Development of a state community water fluoridation program;
• Develop and provide updates to a comprehensive State Oral Heath Plan for oral health promotion, disease prevention and control; and
• Coordinate development of school based/linked dental sealant programs.

Major Oral Health Program activities in 2009/10:

• Continue to work with the Alaska Dental Action Coalition on activities and policy development to address Medicaid dental participation, other dental access issues, prevention, education and dental workforce.
• Coordinate and evaluate a school-based dental sealant pilot program in an Alaska elementary school.
• Continue work with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation to enter water system information in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) "Water Fluoridation Reporting System" and recognize community water systems and water operators that achieve annual optimal fluoridation of the respective water systems.
• In conjunction with the Section of Health Planning & Systems Development (HPSD), prepare a report on dental workforce in Alaska along with an action plan to address identified problems.  Assist HPSD on federal funding targeted at dental provider loan repayment to address dental underserved areas of the state. 
• Complete dental assessments and key informant interviews for Alaska seniors oral health - develop a strategic plan to outline strategies and programs to improve the oral health of Alaska's seniors. 
• Continue screening and survey data collection to assess the oral health status of Alaskans and evaluate preventive interventions (e.g., water fluoridation and dental sealants).