KOHC members and advocates convened for the 2024 KOHC December Annual Meeting this year on Friday, December 13th at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. Some attendees arrived early to begin the day with a tour led by Dr. Stephanie Riehn, Assistant Professor with the Program of Dental Hygiene at WKU.

With an introduction by Alicia Whatley, Senior Policy and Advocacy Director with Kentucky Youth Advocates, Dr. Riehn kicked off the day with a warm welcome and more information about the program and work of the Dental Hygiene Program and Clinic.  

Diane Gruen-Kidd, Program Administrator with the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, then shared her presentation about Trauma-Informed Care. She stressed that trauma is experienced and trauma-responses are activated uniquely by individuals in different ways. Oral health professionals can be mindful of how to be proactive and responsive to co-create with their patients the best experiences and outcomes.  She suggested using a “Name it to Tame It” strategy for checking in and building rapport with patients, as well having a fidget toolbox available to help alleviate stress. Diane also recommended being mindful of the role that ACEs (Adverse Childhood, Climate, Community, and/or Cultural Experiences) play in trauma.

Dr. Pam Stein, Professor of Dentistry, and Dr. Jennie Ison, Assistant Professor of Dentistry, both with the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry presented results from their work on a 6 year project sponsored by the United Health Foundation (UHF) to “Eradicate Oral Cancer in Eastern Kentucky.”  The project involved doing as many screenings as possible in 9 eastern Kentucky counties where oral cancer rates were highest, as well as spreading awareness and education around prevention. While other states have seen rising rates, Kentucky’s oral cancer rate has declined slightly during the span of this project. Free open access resources for patients and providers are available here. 

Dr. Julie McKee, Kentucky State Dental Director, presented an overview of initial findings from the 2023 Kentucky Early Learner’s Oral Health Survey that show an urgent need to understand and address the causes for “dental poverty” among Kentucky children between the ages of 2 and 5. The survey screened more than 6,000 kids across more than 100 counties. Initial findings show that the rate of caries and untreated decay “are comparable to children living at or below 100% of the federal poverty level (the group with the highest rates of decay among 2 – 5 year olds in the U.S.) even though the Kentucky kids screened come from varied socioeconomic backgrounds.” Kentucky children attending rural Head Start facilities, as well as Black children in Jefferson County – communities facing a lack of investment and low access to care – have the highest rates of decay. 

Alicia Whatley facilitated a discussion about possible next steps the Coalition can take in response to the findings.  

Dr. McKee then provided an update on fluoridation trends and movement in Kentucky.

 Alicia Whatley rounded out the meeting with facilitation of group discussion on KOHC priorities and member voting. Members voted for the 2025 KOHC Policy Priorities as well as voting in our new KOHC Steering Committee member, Brooke Jones, PHRDH and Director of School Oral Health with the Gateway District Health Department. KOHC is excited to welcome Brooke Jones to the Steering Committee!  

Thank you to all who attended this year’s annual meeting, and to our Signature Sponsors CareQuest Institute for Oral Health and Aetna Better Health of Kentucky and to our Partner Sponsor UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, as well as to University of Kentucky College of Dentistry with support from the United Health Foundation for their coverage of food throughout the day. 

Meeting slides can be found here.