Page Contents

MDH sponsors School-based Oral Health Care Continuing Education
RAF for Minnesota School-Based Sealant Programs
Webinar: Reducing Sugary Drinks in Healthcare Facilities
School-based Oral Health Care Training
February Focus on Children's Oral Health
2011 Water Fluoridation Appreciation Award
Local Cable TV presents
Oral Health is Total Health
MN School-based Dental Sealant Program
Practicing Rural Dentistry - a dream becomes reality
CDC Project Officer visits Oral Health Program
Collaborative Dental Hygiene Practice

Minnesota
Oral Health Program

MINNESOTA ORAL HEALTH PROGRAM

MDH sponsors Continuing Education for Oral Health Professionals and Advocates for Oral Health

You are invited to Normandale Community College's May 17, 2013 continuing education course designed for professionals who want to learn more about School-based Care, and in particular school-based oral health care. For detailed course information visit the NCC Continuing Education and Customized Training site.

The morning session is open to all professionals and the afternoon session is open to dental hygienists (DH) and advanced dental therapists (ADT) who currently practice in a school-based setting or to DHs or ADTs who have a strong plan to work in a school-based or school-linked setting.

Please note that registration for the afternoon session must be made through Clare Larkin via telephone or email, not through the Normandale Continuing Education Department. Attendees must attend the morning session in order to attend the afternoon session.

Contact Clare Larkin RDH MEd, Faculty in Dental Hygiene, Normandale Community College by calling 952.358.8636 or by email at clare.larkin@normandale.edu

Funding for this training is also generously provided by Delta Dental Foundation of Minnesota.

2013 School-Based Sealant RFA
(PDF: 449KB/21 pages)

New Funding Opportunities for Minnesota School-Based Sealant Programs

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Oral Health Program, and Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation are excited to announce two new funding opportunities for Minnesota School-based Sealant Programs called “smiles@school”.

The purpose of these Request for Applications (RFAs) is to 'raise Minnesota’s grade' on sealant rates for children who are at highest risk for dental disease. Interested applicants are encouraged to review both RFAs and apply for either or both opportunities. The two RFAs, funding guidelines, and requirements are designed to work in concert to improve children's oral health through evidence-based prevention activities.

Applications to the Minnesota Department of Health are due April 18, 2013.

For more information about the Minnesota Department of Health Oral Health Program funding opportunity please contact Charity Kreider at charity.kreider@state.mn.us or by calling (651)201-5723

Please look for Delta Dental of Minnesota's Request for Application coming soon! Applications to Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation will be due May 1, 2013.

For more information about the Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation funding opportunity please contact Sharon Oswald, Foundation Program Manager at soswald@deltadentalmn.org or by calling (612)224-3203.

Webinar: Reducing Sugary Drinks in Healthcare Facilities April 3, noon-1:15pm CT

This webinar will introduce the Minnesota Healthy Beverages in Healthcare Toolkit, a new set of resources geared to support efforts to develop and build healthy beverages programs in Minnesota healthcare facilities. Participants will learn why growing numbers of hospitals are taking steps to reduce sugary drink consumption within their facilities. They will also learn about strategies and tools being used by these institutions, drawing on examples from hospitals around the country as well as highlighting work in Minnesota. Finally, they will learn about an opportunity to receive free, individualized technical assistance to help them start a conversation about developing a program for their own institution or one in their community.

Speakers: The webinar will feature a panel of speakers, including:

Julie Ralston Aoki, from the Public Health Law Center
Stacia Clinton, from Health Care Without Harm;
Cheri Fidler and Marybeth Schlichtholz, from Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego
Jamie Harvie, from Institute for a Sustainable Future
Karen Nitzkorski, PartnerSHIP4Health

This webinar is designed for SHIP and CTG grantees, healthcare and public health professionals, obesity prevention advocates, and others concerned about obesity and chronic disease prevention. Participants will learn about:

The Minnesota Healthy Beverages in Healthcare Toolkit, a new, free resource
Why and how a growing number of hospitals are implementing programs to promote healthy foods and beverage choices within their own facilities
An opportunity to receive free, individualized technical assistance to start a conversation about sugary drinks within their organizations

Registration is free, but you must register to attend. Register online at: https://networkforphl.webex.com/
networkforphl/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=661164179

Financial support for the Minnesota Healthy Beverages in Healthcare Toolkit was provided by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. Financial support was also provided by the Minnesota Cancer Alliance with funding from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Cooperative Agreement Number 5U55DP003045). The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention

For questions or more information, please contact Julie Ralston Aoki, Staff Attorney, Public Health Law Center, at julie.ralstonaoki@wmitchell.edu or 651-290-7532.

Are You Interested in
School-based Health Care?

Continuing Education Opportunity for Oral Health Professionals and Oral Health Advocates

Added 03/08/13

Please join us on Friday May 17, 2013 at Normandale Community College as oral health professionals and advocates gather to learn more about “School-based Health Care—an Oral Health Professional’s Prevention Toolkit.” more...

February Focus on Children's Oral Health

Added 02/27/13

Although tooth decay can be prevented, it still affects more children in the United States than any other chronic infectious disease. This month, CDC’s Division of Oral Health is focusing on children’s oral health. We encourage parents and caregivers to play an active role in protecting their children’s teeth by teaching them good oral health habits. Learn how to ensure good oral health for your children.

2011 Water Fluoridation Appreciation Award

Added 02/20/13

The Minnesota Dental Association in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Health, Oral Health Program and Drinking Water Protection Section presented Minnesota communities with the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) 2011 Water Fluoridation Appreciation Award. The award recognizes those water systems that have adjusted the fluoride concentration in drinking water and continued to optimize their fluoridation procedures for 50 years or more.

The MDH Oral Health Program congratulates these communities for their outstanding performance in providing safe, dependable drinking water for their community. The following communities received the awards:

Fridley
Two Harbors
St. Louis Park
Forest Lake; and
Hoyt Lakes

A Public Health Journal presents:
Oral Health is Total Health

Added 01/03/13

Tune in Wednesday, January 9th at 8:00pm on Metro Cable Network (MCN) Channel 6 to watch Commissioner Ehlinger and Merry Jo Thoele, Dental Director, Minnesota Department of Health, discuss why oral health is critical to overall health. Oral health is fundamental to life because it:

Shares risk factors with chronic illnesses
Affects children’s growth, development, and ability to learn
Determines what foods we eat and whether we smile
Affects our very sense of self-worth and confidence
Can be harmed by oral disease and if left untreated can lead to death

A Public Health Journal (APHJ) is a cable television program hosted by Dr. Ed Ehlinger, Commissioner of Health. APHJ is produced by the Metro Cable Network (MCN) Channel 6, Minnesota Department of Health, and the Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department. Sponsors include the University of Minnesota Boynton Health Service, Minnesota Public Health Association, and the Twin Cities Medical Society. Each week Dr. Ehlinger and his guests discuss a variety of health issues and solutions. The program airs on Wednesday evenings at 8:00 PM on Metro Cable Network Channel 6.

Minnesota School-based Dental Sealant
Program Manual is Now Available!

Added 01/03/12

The Minnesota School-based Dental Sealant Program Manual is now available! This is a free resource for new and existing school-based dental sealant programs to provide guidance and standardize their policies and procedures. Each organization can customize their program manual with information specific to their particular program. Many thanks go to Children’s Dental Services who has co-authored this document. Go to our Sealant Program page for more information about this program.

Minnesota School-based Dental Sealant Program Manual
(PDF: 508KB/41 pages)

Practicing Rural Dentistry
- a dream becomes reality

Added 12/03/12

Meet Ben Sitz, an incredibly motivated soon-to-be dental student at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry who is deeply committed to serving the oral health needs of rural Minnesotans. Growing up in Park Rapids, Ben understands the complex problems people in his community experience related to receiving dental care. He gained exposure to these issues by shadowing a local dentist while he was still in high school and quickly realized both his passion to become a dentist and his desire to practice in a rural setting. The questions he needed to answer next were what could he do to make this dream a reality and what resources were available to support his goal. more...

Fortunately for Ben, the answers came sooner rather than later. A few years ago, one of the nurses at his high school heard a speaker mention the University of Minnesota’s Early Decision Rural Dentistry Track Program (EDRDTP). Shortly thereafter a representative from the local Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) met with Ben and his parents. They were thrilled to learn the EDRDTP provides substantial guidance and support for undergraduate students committed to entering dental school and returning to practice dentistry in rural communities upon graduation. The EDRDT program includes a summer experience, mentoring, tuition support, and the ability to obtain an early provisional admission decision by the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. “For me, once I found out about the program [EDRDTP] it reinforced what I knew I wanted to do. I always pictured myself going back to a small town to work and live.”

During his freshman year at Bemidji State University Ben’s goal was to apply and be accepted into the EDRDTP. To prepare, he completed extensive job shadowing, kept his GPA high, and did additional volunteer work to be a more competitive applicant. Ben’s hard work and focused efforts were rewarded and he entered the EDRDTP his sophomore year. As part of the program, students conduct a community project that engages students in oral health issues across the state. Ben’s chosen project was to work with children at a community clinic in rural Minnesota, which exposed him to aspects of dentistry other than private practice. He discovered that there is a greater range of procedures and patient needs making a community clinic setting much more appealing and rewarding than he had anticipated.

Now in his second year in the program, Ben continues to find tremendous benefit from the EDRDTP and from the passionate mentorship Dr. Naty Lopez, program director, provides. He meets with faculty regularly to receive guidance and help to ensure that he doesn’t fall behind and meets the admission requirements. Ben credits the EDRDTP with making his “journey easier” by relieving some of the pressure and making expectations for entering dental school clear. He also stresses how valuable the relationships he formed with faculty and current dental students are in preparing for dental school and returning to practice in the rural community.

Along with the benefits provided by the EDRDTP, students are introduced to other programs, including a five-week summer dental experience that helps participants prepare for the Dental Aptitude Test, write application essays for dental school, conduct a health disparities project, shadow dentists in community clinics, and participate in workshops to teach students about dentistry. Ben reflects back on his plans before entering the EDRDTP, “Originally I wasn’t going to apply to the U of MN, even though it was my dream program, because it was so highly completive. The EDRDTP helped make it possible.”

For more information about the EDRDTP please visit http://www.dentistry.umn.edu/programs-admissions/rural-dentistry/index.htm or contact Dr. Naty Lopez at lopez216@umn.edu

Funding was made possible in part by a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities, Award Number T12HP14659, to the Minnesota Department of Health Oral Health Program.

CDC Program Services Team Project Officer visits Oral Health Program

Added 10/17/12

Commander Ali Danner, Minnesota’s new CDC Project Officer, will be conducting a site visit on Thursday October 18 and addressing the Coalition on Friday October 19.

What’s in a Site Visit?

Site visits are focused primarily on the current status of the 8 CDC Required Activities and their related products, sometimes called deliverables, as well as concerns and issues.

During the site visit the state oral health program will provide a summary of activities and updates on progress and challenges encountered while working toward achieving outcomes for all the required activities. It is a collegial sharing of in-person updates, accomplishments and challenges, technical reviews, and insights into the health department environment.

The Project Officer seeks ways to contribute to discussions with colleagues and partners and to emphasize Minnesota’s Oral Health Program accomplishments related to the CDC Division of Oral Health cooperative agreement funding (DP08-802). The Project officer is an advocate for the program during his visit—both to the state health department’s leadership and to the State Oral Health Coalition.

The agenda includes visiting with Commissioner Ehlinger, Assistant Commissioner Ayers, the state finance officer, Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Division, and Center for Health Promotion leadership. A site visit is an opportunity to give real meaning to the Cooperative Agreement and to strengthen our collaboration for success as we continue our joint efforts to further build on the oral health activities and successes within Minnesota.


Register today! This series includes the following five courses: Oral Health from a Public Health Perspective Collaborative Dental Hygiene Practice Collaborative Practice Examples Building a Sustainable Business Model Risk & Liability Register for courses at http://www.mchoralhealth.org/mn/ collaborative-practice/

Register today!
This series includes
the following five courses:

Oral Health from a Public Health Perspective
Collaborative Dental Hygiene Practice
Collaborative Practice Examples
Building a Sustainable Business Model
Risk & Liability

Register for courses at http://www.mchoralhealth.org/mn/
collaborative-practice/

Free Course Series: Collaborative Dental Hygiene Practice in Minnesota

Added 9/23/12

In partnership with government, academic, community, and private individuals and organizations, the Minnesota Oral Health Program completed and launched five courses in a free online series for dental practitioners. The courses provide evidence-based content and include substantial guidance in understanding and implementing a collaborative agreement. Dental hygienists with a collaborative agreement can provide preventive care outside of traditional dental clinics in settings like schools, nursing homes and local public health departments–a key strategy to improving access to care for all Minnesotans.

The Minnesota Department of Health Oral Health Program supports a variety of statewide efforts to expand access to preventive oral health care. A federal grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration provided funding for this series and a variety of other workforce innovation initiatives that increase access to care for all Minnesotans.

Through a strategic partnership with the National Maternal & Child Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC), the Oral Health Program is able to promote the series at the national level! By hosting the series on their website and including it in publications, the OHRC supports health professionals, program administrators, educators, policymakers, and others in responding to current and emerging public oral health issues.

Content experts who contributed development of the courses:

Catherine Furry
Erica Gosso
Kathy Jo Gunvalson
Clare Larkin
Mary Lou Olsen
Mary Morales
Sheila Riggs
Bob Russell
LPaC Alliance, Halleland Habicht

Lynn Anderson
Bashar Bakdash
Sarah Basile
Kristine Billman
Colleen Brickle
Jayne Cernohous
Melissa Cozart
Khatidja Dawood
Barbara Deming
Rebecca Fahning

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Announcements

The 2013 Minnesota
Oral Health Plan

Healthy Minnesota 2020:
Chronic Disease & Injury
(PDF: 1.7MB/28pages)

Chronic Diseases and Their Risk Factors in Minnesota: 2011
(PDF: 42 pages/3.05MB)

Water Fluoridation: What the Science Says
The Pew Center on the States, Initiatives Detail

Minnesota Improves State Grade for Children's Dental Health
(PDF: 116KB/2 pages)

Basic Screening Survey
data now available

NewsByte Archives

NewsByte 2012
NewsByte 2011
NewsByte April 2011
(PDF: 711kb/9 pages)
NewsByte January 2011
(PDF: 432kb/4 pages)

Oral Health Program Staff Members

Oral Health Director
Merry Jo Thoele 651-201-3749
merry.jo.thoele@state.mn.us
Prevention Coordinator
Patti Ulrich 651-201-4230
patti.ulrich@state.mn.us
Epidemiologist
Jon Roesler 651-201-5487
jon.roesler@state.mn.us
Data Coordinator
Barbara Hann 651-201-3538
barbara.hann@state.mn.us
Evaluator
Bilquis Khan 651-201-5404
bilquis .khan@state.mn.us
Program Coordinator
Charity Kreider 651-201-5723
charity.kreider@state.mn.us

Organizational Chart
(PDF: 133KB/1 page)

Questions?

If you have questions or comments about this page, please contact the Oral Health Program:
health.oral@ state.mn.us

Center for Health Promotion > Health Promotion and Chronic Disease

Minnesota Department of Health