A State of Decay: Are Older Americans Coming of Age without Oral Healthcare?

Oral Health America (OHA) developed A State of Decay, Vol. III based on five variables: Edentulism, Adult Medicaid Dental Benefits, Community Water Fluoridation, Basic Screening Surveys and State Oral Health Plans. OHA ranked each of the 50 states based on the overall status of their older adult population as measured by an overall state score, which is referred to within this report as the Composite Score.

Read and download the report A State of Decay.

WHO’s global oral health status report 2022: Actions, discussion and implementation

The Global Oral Health Status Report (GOHSR) directed towards the promotion and achievement of the universal health coverage (UHC) for oral health by the year 2030 was published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in November 2022. The report reviews the latest evidence-based data on the status of oral health worldwide in terms of oral disease burden, risk factors, distributions of dental practitioners, health benefits package and the national health response for oral health crises (World Health Organization, 2022). The first of its kind report aims to foster discussion and implementation of the policy reforms on a national and international level amongst the 194 member states. Most importantly, the report presents the first-ever country-wise oral health profile with critical data on the oral health situation in each of the WHO member state.

Determinants of Oral Health Screening and Assessment in Physician Assistant Clinical Practice

The Oral Health Workforce Research Center (OHWRC) at the Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS) at the University at Albany, completed a research project to understand the inclusion of oral health screening and assessment services in physician assistant clinical practice across the US.

This project included a literature review and a survey of a sample of physician assistants to collect primary data about their clinical practices related to oral health services. The goal of the study was to understand uptake among physician assistants of oral health service provision and to describe the predictors of integration including specialty, setting, and education in oral health competencies in professional education programs.

Read and download the report Determinants of Oral Health Assessment and Screening in Physician Assistant Clinical Practice.

Oral-Systemic Interactions and Medical-Dental Integration: A Life Course Approach

Oral-Systemic Interactions and Medical-Dental Integration: A Life Course Approach, a 2023 report from the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, discusses the need to understand a life course approach regarding both oral-systemic interactions (OSI) and medical-dental integration (MDI). It provides a comprehensive overview of the bidirectional nature of oral and systemic diseases across different life phases and how health care delivery in an integrated form can improve access to care and health outcomes. Finally, it discusses the gaps, challenges, and barriers to creating integrated models, and provides recommendations to improve the future of MDI.