This week, Kentucky Youth Advocates released the 2023 KIDS COUNT County Data Book, highlighting opportunities to properly invest in our “kid workforce” - comprised of the individuals that impact a young person’s livelihood outside of their household - so Kentucky children can stay healthy, remain safe, and thrive. A strong “kid workforce” including doctors and dentists, and those serving kids in their schools and communities,  can ensure that kids are able to learn and play [...]

KOHC knows that oral health care is not always top of mind for children and their families around the state, and our work strives to remove barriers to accessing oral health care and practicing prevention at home. As part of our efforts, we highlight programs around the state engaging in work that helps us meet this goal and improve oral health for everyone.   Program highlight – Norton Children’s Prevention and Wellness   Submitted by Angelina Garman, [...]

Kentucky Oral Health Coalition members and oral health advocates convened on Friday, September 22nd for the KOHC September Quarterly meeting. We began with introductions and an informal poll of participants to determine our level of experience with advocacy, with results being split. Alicia Whatley, Policy and Advocacy Director with Kentucky Youth Advocates, shared an Advocacy 101 presentation with ideas for how to participate in oral health advocacy and an overview of recent oral health priorities [...]

This October, the Kosair for Kids Face It Movement is once again hosting a series of Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma Prevention & Recognition Trainings (October 4th – 6th, 2023) and bringing awareness to the critically important TEN-4 Bruising Rule.    Pediatric abusive head trauma (PAHT), or shaken baby syndrome, is a severe form of child abuse that most often involves infants. In these Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma Prevention & Recognition trainings, participants will learn the early signs [...]

Guest blog submitted by Leah Smothers, PHRDH, Floss and Gloss Program Manager, Purchase District Health Department, KOHC Steering Committee member. My journey with teledentistry began in December 2018, when I attended a training session led by Eden Ivey, a teledentistry expert. She showed us how to use Mouthwatch cameras and Teledent software to capture and share intra-oral images of our patients. As the program manager of Floss and Gloss, a K-12 in-school program, I was [...]

*Blog updated on 09/21/2023*   How did we get here?   Throughout 2023, KOHC has monitored the adult Medicaid dental benefit expansion, summarizing the progression of this issue:   October 2022 – Governor Beshear announces expanded dental benefits for adults on Medicaid including restorative treatment like fillings, crowns, implants, and dentures to begin in 2023.  January 2023 – The Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) files emergency regulations to begin offering these benefits, including a [...]

Although we often focus on dental hygiene and oral care, the professionals providing oral health care across the Commonwealth have a much bigger role to play in the overall health and wellbeing of our population. In the wake of the opioid epidemic, dental care teams are centered in the landscape of pain-relieving medications and responsible prescribing for Kentuckians.   Dental providers are highly trained in their field and those who prescribe controlled substances are required to [...]

KOHC members and other dental health professionals attending the Madisonville Regional Oral Health Summit this month were excited to hear updates about the College of Dental Medicine at the University of Pikeville (UPike) from Dr. Pam Stein who serves as dean. The college will focus on recruiting students from rural Kentucky, and is slated to admit up to 60 students per year starting as soon as summer 2025. UPike Dental College is being designed to [...]

For many Kentucky kids summer break just kicked off, but before we know it families will be preparing for back-to-school season! Parents and caregivers will soon be preparing school supplies and filling out all the necessary health forms. For Kentucky children attending school for the first time as kindergartners, the dental screening or exam form is mandatory. This requirement was established to emphasize the importance of children’s oral health and prepare them for the school year. Screenings  are also designed to [...]