Oral Health Newsletter Volume 6

Communicating data is a vital part of providing the public with oral health knowledge and overall health literacy. Visual communication is particularly effective at reaching wide audiences and distilling complex data into understandable charts, graphs, diagrams, or other visuals.

However, visual communication can also be challenging to do well. Visuals can be misunderstood, and they have the potential to offend certain groups or reinforce negative stereotypes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created a webpage that assists health educators in creating effective content and avoiding common mistakes. The webpage contains links to free public domain images and workbooks for improving visual communication skills.

Of particular note is the Urban Institute's Do No Harm Guide: Applying Equity Awareness in Data Visualization. This guide assists health educators in being aware of diversity, equity, and inclusion while presenting visual data. It details how to choose appropriate colors, shapes, and words for visuals, and how to be inclusive to marginalized groups.

The full CDC visual communication resource guide can be viewed here.

IDPH's Oral Health Section will be hosting the annual Oral Health Event for children at the Illinois State Fair this August. During this event, volunteers offer free dental exams to children and oral health education to those who would like to know more.

The Oral Health Event is an opportunity to educate families about the importance of oral health and to assist those needing the required dental school exam form for their children.

The school exam is a requirement by the Illinois State Board of Education for children entering kindergarten, second, sixth, and ninth grades.

The Oral Health Event will take place August 11-21, 2022, in Springfield. Oral health workers interested in volunteering to do dental exams or health education should contact the Oral Health Section at DPH.OralHealth@illinois.gov or call 217-785-4899.

IDPH's Oral Health Section (OHS) is working to complete a dental resource map. This map will include dental clinics and practices, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), local health departments, and hospitals in Illinois outside the Chicago metropolitan area that provide oral health services.

The dental resource map provides basic contact and service information and designates which providers accept Medicaid and provide Spanish language accommodation.

The OHS dental resource map can be accessed at: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1a2ZGYxXW3nLd3RAn4kPKiSOxVXBP90Cj&usp=sharing.

Food resource and dental resource maps were requested during stakeholder meetings for the Illinois Oral Health Plan IV.

After the in-progress food resource map was published in the March OHS newsletter, stakeholders brought Illinois Extension's Find Food IL Community Food Map to the section's attention. This map is another excellent resource for locating food pantries, soup kitchens, grocery stores, farmers markets, and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) offices in Illinois.

OHS will continue to update and expand the dental resource map outside the Chicago metropolitan area. If information on this map is missing or inaccurate, contact OHS at DPH.OralHealth@Illinois.gov.

IDPH's Oral Health Section is pleased to introduce Cristy Wedemeyer as a new Public Health Educator and Grants Manager. Cristy will be managing the Long-Term Care Oral Health Training Grant, which aims to create a standardized training for oral health care in long-term care facilities.

Cristy most recently worked at the Jackson County Health Department in the Tobacco Prevention and Control Division. She has more than 20 years of experience in public health and consulting.

Cristy's interest in public health began, surprisingly, with a bag of french fries. After learning her fries had been handled by a worker infected with hepatitis A, Cristy visited her local health department to get vaccinated.

"That was my first experience with the health department," she said. "I learned about how important public health and prevention is."

Cristy also credits her health education professor in college with stoking her interest in the field. "She inspired that passion and interest to pursue this career," Cristy said.

Cristy is looking forward to working with oral health collaborators, learning about oral health programs, and gaining further experience in public health.

When she's not at work, Cristy enjoys making specialty popcorn and watching movies. She has two teenagers who keep her on her toes.

Downers Grove, Ill.

Delta Dental's Dentist by 1 Education Session and Community Service Event (12 CE credits)

Atlanta, Ga. (Hybrid)

2022 National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing and Media

As a new school year approaches, OHS would like to remind oral health workers to download the most current school dental exam forms.

School dental exam forms are available in English, Spanish, and French. Dental examination waiver forms are also available on the OHS website.

For questions, reach out to DPH.OralHealth@Illinois.gov.

For comments, questions, or to be added to the OHS newsletter distribution list, email DPH.OralHealth@Illinois.gov