G-2307-19250

The Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) is a national non-profit organization representing the directors and staff of state/territorial public health agency programs for oral health. ASTDD formulates and promotes the establishment of national dental public health policy, assists state/territorial dental programs in the development and implementation of programs and policies for the prevention of oral diseases; builds awareness and strengthens dental public health professionals' knowledge and skills by developing position papers and policy statements; provides information on oral health to health officials and policy makers, and conducts conferences for the dental public health community.

ASTDD is seeking $100,000 in funding from the Emergent & Relief Fund to update its 2011 Prevention and Control of Early Childhood Tooth Decay Best Practice Approach Report (BPAR). ASTDD identifies that the current dental delivery system emphasizes treatment over prevention, particularly in the case of Early Childhood Caries (ECC). This update will reflect new information gained over the last decade and offer policy recommendations, especially those addressing medical/dental collaboration and the medical management of caries. This additional data will be incorporated into the revised BPAR, particularly reviewing the social and economic determinants of health that disproportionately negatively impact oral health in certain populations. The BPAR will examine the potential for significant return on investment when private/public insurance and policy makers invest in value-based care and prevention rather than treatment.

The BPAR will be disseminated to communities of interest, particularly communities that have an interest in those disproportionately impacted by ECC. These include oral health advocates, programs that integrate oral health into overall health, policymakers, funders, safety net access points, interdisciplinary health care professionals (including community health workers), and parents/caregivers.