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As part of the Dental Data Exchange Project, CareQuest Institute for Oral Health helped develop the first implementation guides to help bridge the communication gap between primary care and oral health care. National partners and thought leaders collaborated on the guides, which include critical information for electronic dental health information (EHI) coordination. 

Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) has been widely recognized as an effective noninvasive tool for the prevention and management of dental caries. And it has proven to be an invaluable treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dental care in the United States has been changing, gradually, in the last decade. New treatments, new payment models, and new technologies have been shifting providers away from the surgical management of oral disease to a greater focus on prevention and health promotion. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, and, by necessity, the industry stepped on the gas pedal. Questions became realities. Promising ideas became protocols. The shift accelerated.

Congress is working on significant legislation — including adding dental coverage to Medicare — that could improve the lives of millions of Americans. So, what happens next? And how did we end up in this situation where we’re trying to expand dental coverage for people who need it most? 

This is an excerpt from the July 8 webinar “Consumer Perspectives on Oral Health Access, Outcomes, and Quality of Care.” Carolyn Brown, DDS, M.Ed, senior advisor, consultant, person-centered care at CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, shared her perspective on future-proofing — designing or changing a system so it will continue to be useful and successful in the future if the situation changes — the oral health system.

Dr. Matthew Horan is executive director of dental services at Harbor Health Services, a federally-qualified health center (FQHC) in Massachusetts. He also works part-time as a state dental director — dual roles that give him a unique perspective on how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed dentistry during the last 16 months. What’s next for the industry? Dr.

At Institute for Oral Health, equity is at the core of everything we do. Whether it’s through our grantmaking, advocacy, health improvement work, education or research we prioritize the underserved and amplify their voices. Today, we stand together and applaud the passage of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act.

It’s no secret that oral health affects a person’s overall health and quality of life. A simple toothache can turn a good day into a painful one pretty quickly.

Do you have any symptoms of COVID-19? Have you been in contact with anyone who tested positive for COVID-19? Have you had a positive COVID-19 test in the last 14 days? These familiar questions won’t go away anytime soon when visiting a dental or medical office. However, patients of the dental clinic at Harbor Health Services, where Dr. Matthew Horan is executive director of dental services, are now being greeted with an additional question that may surprise them: