Advancing oral health policy through persuasive messaging and effective research measures.

Oral health is often excluded from broad health policy discussions, addressed only in a policy silo. There is a paucity of research to guide policymaking as it relates to oral health. In response, AcademyHealth's Oral Health Interest Group organized a meeting during the 2019 AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting to promote transdisciplinary dialog on the current state of oral health policy and the steps necessary to improve the oral health of Americans. This article summarizes the two main themes that emerged from the proceedings of the Oral Health Interest Group meeting: a) recommendations for advocating the inclusion of oral health in policy discussions and b) critical research topics and measures needed for effective oral health policies in the future.

Oral health provisions in U.S. health care reform.

BACKGROUND: During 2009, both chambers of the U.S. Congress passed health care reform bills that contained a variety of provisions specific to oral health and dental care. In March 2010, the Senate version-the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (referred to as the Affordable Care Act [ACA])-was signed into law. METHODS: The authors establish the context for ACA dental provisions by reviewing prior federal legislation pertaining to dental coverage. They analyze the final U.S. House and Senate health care reform bills for their oral health content and draw observations regarding congressional interest in oral health. RESULTS: The authors identify and describe more than 30 provisions of direct relevance to dentistry within the domains of insurance coverage, dental workforce, safety net, prevention and surveillance. Although the two bills differed in many details, both address oral health infrastructure and delivery of care, with particular attention to underserved child and adolescent populations. CONCLUSIONS: The oral health provisions in the health care reform bills evidenced strong congressional interest in oral health and dental care, with an emphasis on equitable care for children. Practice Implications. The effect of each congressional action on the future of dental practice will depend on how the provisions are regulated and implemented. The dental profession needs to recognize the strong and ongoing interest of lawmakers in oral health care and must maintain active engagement in the policymaking process.

Dialing for help: state telephone hotlines as vital resources for parents of young children.

Toll-free telephone hotlines operated by the states are increasingly being used by families to obtain reliable advice on their young children's health and well-being. Originally created for prenatal-care assistance alone, these lines now cover a wide range of early-childhood issues. But while the majority of the lines deliver high-quality information, promptly and empathetically, to their callers, there is still considerable room for improvement. For example, greater use could be made of experts in early-childhood services, and of knowledgeable parents, for speaking with callers and training other staff. The lines could also be made more easily accessible in several ways: through the national 800 number for childhood issues, via the more general 2-1-1 number for community-based services, and by means of a Web site for each line so that it could serve its audience at virtually any time of the day or night.