The RoundTable’s 4th Annual Rural Oral Health Conference on September 11 attracted an overflow crowd, eager to share experiences and to grapple with the huge question of improving access to oral health.

Dr. Edwin Smith, the Kentucky dentist featured last spring on the ABC “20/20” documentary on Appalachia, captured the audience with his heart-warming account of buying and outfitting a mobile van (with his own money) and bringing dental screening and services to a woefully underserved population. Although he has received national attention for the work he’s doing, the soft-spoken Dr. Smith is extremely modest in talking about himself. Rather than a formal presentation, he chose to engage in a question and answer session with RoundTable Board member Nancy DuMont. A brief video of his work gave the audience a vivid picture of the dental problems among the children he and his staff see, as they travel several days a week to schools in 16 counties. Along with screening, Dr. Smith provides some comprehensive treatment but his goal is to get the children into a dental practice, so there will be an ongoing relationship and follow-up care.

While Dr. Smith’s story is a compelling example of what one person can do on an individual level, the next speaker focused on legislative and policy issues at the national/state level Tricia Brooks, Senior Fellow, Center for Children and Families, Georgetown Health Policy Institute (and former CEO of NH Healthy Kids Corporation) reviewed CHIPRA, the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, which was signed into law by Pres. Obama in February. The original CHIP had no provision for oral health coverage but the individual states put it in. CMS will release interpretations of the law, to flesh out the details. The Department of Health and Human Services has launched a new oral health webpage on the Insure Kids Now! Website that will have a list of dental providers in each state that offer services to children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP.

To show how the NE states are working to improve access to care, representatives from the state oral health offices each reviewed an outstanding project:

• Connecticut’s Linda Ferraro spoke about her state’s “Home by One” program, targeted to caregivers and parents, educating them on the importance of paying attention to oral health of children as young as one year of age.


• Dr. Patrick Rowe, Vermont’s newly appointed Director of the Office of Oral Health, said the success of the Tooth Tutor Dental Access Program (to identify kids without dental care and connect them to a local dentist) depends greatly on cultivating good relationships in the dental community.


• Lynn Bethel, MA Office of Oral Health, reported on legislation creating the position of public health dental hygienist.


• Nancy Martin, Oral Health Program Manager, NH, reviewed results of a 2009 Oral Health/Body Mass Index survey of third grade students.


• Judy Feinstein, Director of Maine’s Oral Health Program, spoke about the Governor’s Task Force on Expanding Oral Health Care for Maine People.

Breakout sessions gave participants a chance to learn about innovative programs and to share information on a range of oral health issues.

Ellen Beaulieu, Associate Provost, University of New England, gave the conference a brief update on UNE’s plans for establishing a College of Dental Medicine. No timeline was given but the University is moving ahead confidently on the plan, modeled on the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health. Dental graduates will also be certified in public health management.

View conference speaker's presentations below:

Tricia Brooks
Children & Families Dental Health
Download Presentation (PDF/619kb)

Megan Fitzpatrick
American Dental Hygienists’ Association
Download Presentation (PDF/259kb)

Michael Scandrett
Minnesota’s New Mid-level Dental Practitioner
Download Presentation (PDF/544kb)

State & Program Specific Presentations:

Maine: Governor’s Task Force on Expanding Access to oral Health Care for Maine People (PDF/59kb)

Vermont: Tooth Tutor Dental Access Program (PDF/47kb)

New Hampshire: 2009 Third Grade OH/BMI Survey (PDF/81kb)

Massachusetts: Creation of a public health dental hygienist (PDF/68kb)

Connecticut: Home By One (PDF/61kb)

For More Information:

Please contact Marion Pawlek, NERHRT Executive Director, at 603-643-2800 or mjpawlek@joimail.com.