1602-11896

This investment supports ASTDD to engage key national, state, and community stakeholders to develop standardized research protocols, including data collection, analysis and reporting methods, and guidelines for the collection of Emergency Department data for possible inclusion in national data sets such as the National Oral Health Surveillance System (NOHSS). Specifically, ASTDD will establish a workgroup to develop measures, the protocol, and process for creating complementary tools; convene workgroup members in order to gather and incorporate input into developed tools and protocols; and develop and implement a dissemination plan for the network. Despite the fact that states continuously collect ED data for non-traumatic dental problems (NTDP), there is currently no standardized prototcol for the collection or analysis of this data, and thus, policymakers do not have adequate data to make informed decisions. Development of a standardized protocol for ED data collection and analysis will illuminate a more complete picture of ED use for non-traumatic dental problems and will result in more efficient utilization of scarce resources for individuals who do not have an established dental home. $64,107 will be used to support personnel time, travel, communication and meeting expenses necessary for this work's implementation. This proposal aligns with Oral Health 2020 Goal of establishing a comprehensive national oral health measurement system and the target that by 2020 there is a national and state-based oral health measurement system in place.