Access to oral health services is a problem for all segments of the U.S. population, and especially problematic for vulnerable populations, such as rural and underserved populations. The many challenges to improving access to oral health services include the lack of coordination and integration among the oral health, public health, and medical health care systems; misaligned payment and education systems that focus on the treatment of dental disease rather than prevention; the lack of a robust evidence base for many dental procedures and workforce models; and regulatory barriers that prevent the exploration of alternative models of care. This volume, the summary of a three-day workshop, evaluates the sufficiency of the U.S. oral health workforce to consider three key questions: What is the current status of access to oral health services for the U.S. population? What workforce strategies hold promise to improve access to oral health services? How can policy makers, state and federal governments, and oral health care providers and practitioners improve the regulations and structure of the oral health care system to improve access to oral health services?

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) Roundtable on Health Literacy focuses on bringing together leaders from the federal government, foundations, health plans, associations, and private companies to address challenges facing health literacy practice and research and to identify approaches to promote health literacy in both the public and private sectors. The roundtable serves to educate the public, press, and policy makers regarding the issues of health literacy, sponsoring workshops to discuss approaches to resolve health literacy challenges. It also builds partnerships to move the field of health literacy forward by translating research findings into practical strategies for implementation. The Roundtable held a workshop March 29, 2012, to explore the field of oral health literacy. The workshop was organized by an independent planning committee in accordance with the procedures of the National Academy of Sciences. The planning group was composed of Sharon Barrett, Benard P. Dreyer, Alice M. Horowitz, Clarence Pearson, and Rima Rudd. The role of the workshop planning committee was limited to planning the workshop. Unlike a consensus committee report, a workshop summary may not contain conclusions and recommendations, except as expressed by and attributed to individual presenters and participants. Therefore, the summary has been prepared by the workshop rapporteur as a factual summary of what occurred at the workshop.

UNIQUE! Healthy People 2020 Objectives give you a competitive edge with the most up-to-date science-based guidelines for promoting health and preventing disease. New chapter on Planning a Student Community Oral Health Project helps you confidently move from the classroom into the community and apply what you've learned to improve oral health care. Content updates keep you current on timely issues such as access to care, expanded career opportunities, caries risk assessment, fluoride and sealants, social responsibility and justice, and cultural competence.

More children born today will survive to adulthood than at any time in history. It is now time to emphasize health and development in middle childhood and adolescence--developmental phases that are critical to health in adulthood and the next generation. Child and Adolescent Health and Development explores the benefits that accrue from sustained and targeted interventions across the first two decades of life. The volume outlines the investment case for effective, costed, and scalable interventions for low-resource settings, emphasizing the cross-sectoral role of education. This evidence base can guide policy makers in prioritizing actions to promote survival, health, cognition, and physical growth throughout childhood and adolescence.

This is a Pageburst digital textbook; Created by a dental hygienist for dental hygienists, Community Oral Health Practice for the Dental Hygienist, 3rd Edition, helps you acquire the understanding to improve the oral health care of people throughout various communities and build a successful career in the public health sector. Learn how to effectively interact with and educate people of different cultures, plan and develop community projects, assess the risk of caries and other oral conditions, master ADEA Dental Hygiene Competencies, and more with proven, practical guidance. Comprehensive, cutting-edge content delivers everything you need to know to succeed in practice. Test-taking strategies help you confidently prepare for the community oral health portion of the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE). Up-to-date information on national initiatives details the goals and guidelines of various government programs. ADEA Dental Hygiene Competencies included at the end of each chapter highlight expectations you'll encounter as you enter the workforce. Dental Hygienist Mini-Profiles provide real-world perspectives to help you prepare for practice and plan your career. Applying Your Knowledge sections suggest ways you can begin improving oral health in your community. Guiding principles, learning objectives, vocabulary terms, and chapter summaries help you study more efficiently and reinforce your understanding of the most important concepts. Expanded Community Cases on the companion Evolve website test your ability to apply your knowledge to common scenarios you may encounter as a dental hygienist. UNIQUE! Healthy People 2020 Objectives give you a competitive edge with the most up-to-date science-based guidelines for promoting health and preventing disease. New chapter on Planning a Student Community Oral Health Project helps you confidently move from the classroom into the community and apply what you've learned to improve oral health care. Content updates keep you current on timely issues such as access to care, expanded career opportunities, caries risk assessment, fluoride and sealants, social responsibility and justice, and cultural competence.

Access to oral health care is essential to promoting and maintaining overall health and well-being, yet only half of the population visits a dentist each year. Poor and minority children are less likely to have access to oral health care than are their nonpoor and nonminority peers. Older adults, people who live in rural areas, and disabled individuals, uniformly confront access barriers, regardless of their financial resources. The consequences of these disparities in access to oral health care can lead to a number of conditions including malnutrition, childhood speech problems, infections, diabetes, heart disease, and premature births. Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations examines the scope and consequences of inadequate access to oral health services in the United States and recommends ways to combat the economic, structural, geographic, and cultural factors that prevent access to regular, quality care. The report suggests changing funding and reimbursement for dental care; expanding the oral health work force by training doctors, nurses, and other nondental professionals to recognize risk for oral diseases; and revamping regulatory, educational, and administrative practices. It also recommends changes to incorporate oral health care into overall health care. These recommendations support the creation of a diverse workforce that is competent, compensated, and authorized to serve vulnerable and underserved populations across the life cycle. The recommendations provided in Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations will help direct the efforts of federal, state, and local government agencies; policy makers; health professionals in all fields; private and public health organizations; licensing and accreditation bodies; educational institutions; health care researchers; and philanthropic and advocacy organizations.