Role of pediatric nurse practitioners in oral health care
Dental caries remain the most prevalent unmet health need in US children. Access to care is particularly problematic for poor children and is compounded by the shortage of dentists to meet the needs of this patient population. Expanding the roles of pediatricians, family physicians, andpediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs) who provide primary care services to children may be a strategy to address in this issue.
The oral-systemic connection in primary care
Improving access to healthcare and enhancing health promotion and disease prevention are major priorities for the well-being of the public and a central focus of current federal health initiatives. Furthermore, as recognized by the U.S. Surgeon General in 2000, evidence surrounding the critical importance of the oral-systemic connection is mounting.
Oral Health Care During Pregnancy: A National Consensus Statement
This national consensus statement was developed to help health professionals, program administartors and staff, policymakers, advocates, and other stakeholders respond to the need for improvements in the provision of oral health services to women during pregnancy. Ultimately, the implementation of the guidance within this consensus statement should bring about changes in the health-care-delivery system and improve the overall standard for care.
Integration of Oral Health and Primary Care Practice
This IOHPCP report describes the structured approach, processes and outcomes addressed at the three components of the IOHPCP initiative. Concomitantly, HRSA synthesized the following recommentations:
1. Apply oral health core clinical competencies within primary care practices to increase oral health care access for safety net populations in the united States.
Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations
Oral health care is not uniformly attainable accross the nation. Unfortiunately, individuals who face the greates barriers to care are often among the most vulnerable members of our society. The impact of unmet oral health care needs is magnified by the well-establised connection between oral health and overall health.
This report presents a vision for oral health care in the United States, where everyone has access to quality oral health care throughout the life cycle.
Advancing Oral Health in America
Oral health care is often excluded from our thinking about health. taken together with vision care and mental health care, it seems that problems above the neck are commonly regarded as peripheral to health care policy. This division is reinforced by the fact that dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants are separated from other health care professionals in virtually every way: where they are educated and trained, how their servises are reimbursed, and where they provide oral health care.
Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General
The intent of this first-ever Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health is to alert Americans to the full meaning of oral health and its importance to general health and well-being. Great progress has been made in reducing the extent and severity of common oral diseases. Successful prevention measures adopted by communities, individuals, and oral health professionals have resulted in marked improvements in the nation’s oral and dental health.