August summit to address dental disparities in ND tribal communities
Did you know, among the health disparities facing Native Americans, lack of oral health care services continues to create preventable illness and pain?
Save the date on Aug. 1 for an important summit to seek solutions for improving access to oral health care in Tribal Nations in North Dakota. The National Indian Health Board and the American Indian Public Health Resource Center at North Dakota State University have joined together to seek solutions for improving access to oral health care in North Dakota Tribal Nations. The groups will be co-hosting the North Dakota Tribal Nations Oral Health Summit at the Ramkota Inn in Bismarck.
For more information or to RSVP please contact Bonnie Hurner at
bonnie.hurner@ndsu.edu. Seating is limited. The event is free to attend.
Click here for more details.
Answering general questions about dental therapy
Do you know someone who is looking for easy answers to their questions about dental therapy? You can find simple answers to many of the simple questions on
the attached fact sheet. The information includes details about states that have made policy changes allowing dentists to hire mid-level dental providers, including Alaska, Minnesota, Maine and others.
Upcoming Interim Health Services Committee meeting
Mark your calendars for Wednesday, July 27, and the next Interim Health Services Committee meeting at the capitol building in Bismarck, N.D. The meeting is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with testimony from, among others, representatives of the Center for Rural Health at UND regarding updated research on access to dental services in North Dakota and Dr. Frank A. Catalanotto, Professor and Chair, Department of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Science, University of Florida, regarding enhancing pre-doctoral dental education with a focus on public health, access to oral health care, health care disparities and other topics. For the latest information on the agenda timeline and other details, go to the North Dakota Legislative branch website at
http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/64-2015/committees/interim/health-services-committee.
More options for oral health care professionals in Minnesota
Why don't North Dakota's dentists have the same options as Minnesota dentists? Dean Leon Assael, Dean of the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, explains how dental therapists are helping improve oral health care, as Minnesota dentists have hired about 50 dental therapists after a 2009 legislative policy changes gave dentists more options.
Read the blog.