KOHC members and oral health stakeholdersfrom across the state gathered together for the 2018 Kentucky Oral Health Coalition Annual Meeting on Friday, December 14. We kicked off the meeting with two exceptional keynote speakers, Drs. Khanna and Chalmers. Dr. Raj Khanna, oral and maxillofacial surgeon at Marshall University, presented on his work in West Virginia around ER utilization for dental related issued. Dr. Natalia Chalmers, dental officer with the Center for Drug Evaluation & Research, Division of Dermatology & Dental Products at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, presented on the importance of emphasizing the role of oral health within health trends, such as tobacco and substance use. 

In addition to our keynote speakers, many statewide influencers presented throughout the day.

Tracy Williams, program manager for Kentucky HEALTH, spoke about the re-approved 1115 Medicaid Waiver.Continuing the conversation, Dr. Jerry Caudill of Avesis and Dr. Theresa Mayfield of DentaQuest spoke about dental benefits as the 1115 Medicaid Waiver is implemented in 2019. 

Updating the state oral health plan has been a priority of KOHC. Dr. Julie McKee, Kentucky’s state dental director, provided the group with information and updates on Kentucky’s Strategic Oral Health Plan. 

Additionally, we heard presentations from regional oral health network members. The meeting wrapped up with a discussion lead by Mahak Kalra, KOHC staff support, on KOHC’s 2018 successes and the direction of the coalition moving into 2019. 

Thank you to our event sponsors, presenters, wonderful members and guests who made 2018 annual meeting a success! 

You can see Dr. Chalmers Rush to Bush video here and all of the slides presented at the meeting here

We hope you have a joyful holiday!