Keeping kids safe is an adult responsibility. KOHC invites oral health professionals to learn more about unique ways you can help protect kids for Face It's TEN-4 WEEK during the first week of October. This is an annual series of trainings and resource-sharing to bring awareness to the ways you can recognize and report child maltreatment and neglect as well as support family health and resilience to prevent it.   Recognize: About half of injuries due to [...]

Get the word out about WIC with the WIC outreach toolkit! Oral health advocates understand the impact of nutrition on oral health, and that for  infants and young children nutrition plays a crucial role not only in preventing tooth  decay – the most common childhood disease which is important to prevent in primary  teeth — but also in the development of teeth and jaws. Yet many Kentucky children – about one in five – are [...]

Myram Brady, Principal, Lawrence County High School, Guest Contributor  Two years ago, Lawrence County High School embarked on an exciting journey to expand learning opportunities beyond the traditional classroom setting. By fostering community partnerships, the school has attracted a wealth of support from various individuals and organizations eager to contribute.  The initiative gained momentum when the principal, Mrs. Brady, whose husband had recently graduated with a dental hygienist degree, discovered a growing interest among students [...]

Written by Guest Contributor: Heather Cheek RDH, CDHC, MEd Community Dental Health Program Coordinator Big Sandy Community and Technical College is proud to offer the only Community Dental Health Coordinator (CDHC) program in Kentucky. CDHCs play a crucial role in improving oral health for individuals and families in underserved communities. Big Sandy is also proud to offer a Dental Hygiene Program and Dental Assisting Program at the new, state-of-the-art, East Kentucky Oral Health Center in Paintsville, [...]

Are you a member of the Kentucky Oral Health Coalition? If so, you know that in the past year, with leadership and engagement from our members and partners, we have   Conducted and published the results of a Kentucky Oral Health Landscape Assessment  Developed and published 5 new consumer-focused oral health education resources, as part of a revamped Oral Health Resource Hub  Fought to keep expanded adult Medicaid benefits in place and find ways to support implementation  [...]

KOHC members and oral health advocates met virtually on Friday, June 14th to hear updates from members and partners and discuss possible coalition priorities for 2025. Alicia Whatley, Policy and Advocacy Director with Kentucky Youth Advocates, facilitated the discussion.   Alicia started the meeting off by introducing featured partners who received funding from KOHC this year to help with their work to improve oral health outcomes for special populations in Kentucky. Ann Perkins, Executive Director of [...]

June is the month that brings sunny skies, summer break, and vacations but it also serves a National Oral Health Month – a time to recognize the role that everyone plays in improving oral health for themselves and those around them.   Whether you are a dental team member providing oral health care to patients everyday or a parent trying to ensure your child has optimal oral health, there are steps you can take to achieve [...]

Across the country, May is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month – a time to learn about the impacts of mental health and take action to improve mental health for yourself and those around you. KOHC has focused on highlighting the connections between mental health and oral health and ways dental and mental health providers can improve care for their patients.   Check out these five ways to get involved during Mental Health Month and beyond!  [...]

As many of us in Kentucky are enjoying Spring with warmer weather and more time outdoors, oral health advocates and KOHC want to shine a light on early detection and prevention of oral cancer by lifting up April as Oral Cancer Awareness month. Without early detection and treatment, oral cancer is a serious and deadly disease, and Kentuckians have higher rates of oral cancer than people in other states.  Risk factors for oral cancer may [...]

As we wrap up another legislative session in Kentucky, KOHC is reflecting on the wins and missed opportunities for oral health. KOHC members voted to prioritize four legislative agenda items in 2024, each with plenty of legislative action and implications for more work to be done.   For many years, KOHC has actively worked to protect community water fluoridation and this year was no different. House Bill 141 would have allowed local entities to opt out [...]