GRANT00178

This program aims to improve the Mississippi Oral Health Community Alliance’s (MOHCA) capacity to strengthen and expand partnerships at the regional level to bring awareness to oral health challenges, foster relationships regionally to address issues, and develop solutions to oral health issues statewide. These efforts will result in a plan focused on solutions to strengthen the public health infrastructure, expand prevention programs, and enhance medical and dental collaborations to expand cross-disciplinary preventive interventions. Creating a statewide plan of action for Mississippi (MS) involves addressing policy and access to quality care issues, and identifying funding sources and community leaders to address needs. The project will also work to enhance the medical/dental collaboration through the Make a Child’s Smile fluoride varnish program for pediatricians as well as engaging other medical professionals in oral health promotion through partnering with them to address oral health linkages to chronic disease and birth outcomes.