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August 12-18 marks National Health Center Week, and Oral Health Watch is focusing this week’s blog on the vital role community health centers (CHCs) play in reducing health disparities and providing access to high-quality, culturally appropriate care for underserved communities. CHCs are community-based and patient-directed primary care organizations whose mission is to serve populations with…

As the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to improving oral health in the state, Arcora Foundation is in a unique position to effect change. One way it does so is through targeted grants that aim to reduce health disparities by improving oral health care access for lower-income and underserved communities. Looking forward, the Foundation is taking…

Patients living in less populated communities frequently have too few oral health care options close to home, according to a special report in the Washington Post. The article, entitled Cavity Country, described how patients living in rural areas face limited access to oral health care: “About 43 percent of rural Americans lack access to dental care,…

This year marks the 8th anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). While it’s not perfect, there is no denying that the ACA has helped to reduce health disparities and saved lives by extending coverage to millions of Americans. Nationwide, the uninsured rate dropped from 17 percent in 2009 to 8.8 percent…

A well-regarded Australian newspaper published a compelling article that illustrates the real and tangible benefits of community water fluoridation. The Sydney Morning Herald profiled oral health professional Jennifer James, a dental therapist who has treated the children of two communities 100 miles west of Sydney for 40 years. The towns of Bathurst and Oberon are a…

  By Guest Contributor Christina Peters Last year, Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law a bill aimed at improving oral health for Native people on tribal lands. Senate Bill 5079, the first to pass during the 2017 legislative session, recognizes tribes’ sovereign right to determine how best to meet the needs of their community and allows…

Drinking fluoridated tap water is good for your overall and oral health. Here are five facts that support water fluoridation as safe and beneficial. Prevents tooth decay. Fluoride remains the most efficient way to prevent cavities and oral disease – so much so that the CDC declared fluoridation as one of the 10 greatest public health achievements…

  It’s National Drinking Water Week. What better way to mark this annual observance than to dedicate this week’s blog to the essential role safe, clean – and fluoridated – tap water plays in keeping us hydrated and healthy? Overall, the United States has one of the highest quality drinking supplies in the world. And because…

In recognition of National Minority Health Month, Oral Health Watch is focusing this week’s blog on the oral health disparities ethnic and racial minorities disproportionately experience. Overall, oral health among children in Washington is improving. According to the 2015-2016 Smile Survey, the rate of untreated cavities is down to 12 percent with an overwhelming majority…

April 2-6 marks National Public Health Week and what better way to recognize this moment than to focus on what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has lauded as one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the last century: community water fluoridation. The CDC includes community water fluoridation with such impactful…