Oral Health Newsletter Volume 11

Story 1.

Exciting News: Starting the 2023–2024 School Year with Healthy Smile Healthy Growth (HSHG) Survey

The 2023–2024 Healthy Smile Healthy Growth (HSHG) survey has launched. Thanks to the many volunteer data collectors. HSHG is not just a survey; it's a vital initiative aimed at improving the health and well-being of the state's third graders. It is an assessment of oral health and body mass index (BMI) among third graders. The primary purpose of the survey is to collect health and disease burden data that inform policies and direct resources that will enhance the health of children throughout Illinois. Good oral health is essential for overall well-being.

This year, third graders from 120 randomly selected public elementary schools will have the opportunity to participate in this voluntary survey and, with consent from their guardians, these students will receive free oral screenings and height/weight measurements to assess their BMI. During the survey, essential information on height, weight, untreated dental caries, rampant caries, the presence of sealants, treatment urgency, and beverage consumption will be obtained. Through these data, a better understanding of children’s health needs can be realized, as well as how the COVID-19 health emergency impacted children’s health and ways to work towards a healthier future.

The HSHG survey is conducted every five years. The previous surveys have revealed some crucial trends, such as untreated dental caries has remained steady at 22%, which is higher than the 15% national average. In addition, the use of dental sealants, an evidence-based prevention service, increased dramatically while treatment to improve oral health remained an unmet health care need. While the overall combination of obesity and overweight has decreased the last 15 years, it remained higher than the national average. Continuous data provides evidence on progresses made and the greatest needs to be addressed. Previous survey data can be found on IDPH’s IDPH's Oral Health Page.

To ensure the highest level of accuracy, volunteer surveyors and screeners attended two comprehensive calibration and training sessions. One was held August 11 at Memorial Health, Springfield, and the other August 25 at the DuPage County Health Department. This is a community effort, and everyone is invited to join in making a positive impact on children’s health. Your support and involvement can help shape policies that benefit young learners. The possibilities that HSHG brings are exciting and the IDPH Oral Health Section (OHS) looks forward to sharing the results as together we work towards a healthier, brighter future for children.

Story 2.

Empowering Smiles: A Year in Review – Public Health Dental Hygienist Activity Report 2022

As 2023 comes to a close, it's time to reflect on the impactful strides made in the realm of oral health, specifically through the dedicated efforts of public health dental hygienists (PHDHs). The recently released Public Health Dental Hygienist Activity Report for 2022 provides insight into their endeavors, showcasing the commitment to preventive oral care and community well-being.

PHDHs are dental hygienists with specialized training to offer essential services like cleanings, dental sealants, X-rays, and fluoride treatments in specific public health settings without first requiring a dentist’s exam. This allows vulnerable populations to receive early oral health intervention. PHDHs work with a collaborating dentist who attends to any additional dental care needs identified in the dental examination.

IDPH recently released its 2022 Public Health Dental Hygienist Activity Report, highlighting the impact these providers have on improving access to preventive dental care. Twenty-eight PHDHs reached more than 8,000 patients across 48 facilities statewide. They offered essential dental care to a diverse range of individuals, from children and adults to seniors in various settings, such as health centers, schools, and local health departments. More so, they are making a tangible difference through a spectrum of preventive services, including applying dental sealants, protecting children's teeth from cavities, early screening, assessment, and coordination for accessing timely care. This work is not just clinically effective but also life-changing, especially for underserved populations who have limited access to oral health care. As exemplified by one PHDH, the satisfaction derived from this work is immense. "It's so rewarding to care for underserved patients who may not have had access to oral health care otherwise," she said. This sentiment shows the critical role PHDHs play in improving dental health and, by extension, the overall quality of life for many residents.

The 2022 PHDH report captures a promising picture of this emerging oral health profession. It showed the significant potential PHDHs hold in reaching underserved populations and bridging the gaps in dental care access across the state and, as Illinois progresses, the report offers a reason to celebrate and to further strengthen this workforce dedicated to prevention-focused oral health care. With increased support and expansion in their numbers and practice settings, PHDHs are ideally positioned to play a crucial role in advancing health equity throughout the state.

Story 3.

Best Practice Approach – Early Childhood Caries: Prevention and Management

Oral health promotion, positive health messaging, strong prevention, and early access programs are crucial to limiting early childhood caries (ECC) cases. ECC, defined as tooth decay affecting children younger than 6 years of age, results from poor diet and poor oral hygiene. A broad and diverse workforce is needed to inform and to support children, caregivers, child care providers, and educational systems with current information and programming.

In October 2023, the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) updated the Best Practice Approach: Early Childhood Caries: Prevention and Management. This helpful resource addresses current practices in promotion and prevention, continued challenges, and the promise of new therapies and technologies to treat ECC. The approach lists examples of innovative programming and resources that focus on ECC prevention and management. Read about the approach and consider what your programs can do to address this early, yet mostly common childhood bacterial disease.

Check out the entire ECC approach report. Here are ECC resources of interest.

Download the Early Childhood Oral Health Starter Kit Brochure (available in English and Spanish).

Maternal and Child Health Flip Charts

To request a hard copy of the Maternal and Child Health Flip Chart, email IDPH with your mailing

information and the quantity requested to DPH.OralHealth@Illinois.gov.

Information for parents and caregivers - Fast Facts on Oral Health – Early Childhood Caries

Story 4

A Leap Forward in Oral Health: Celebrating the Success of the Illinois Oral Health Plan IV Evaluation

OHS published the Illinois Oral Health Plan IV (IOHP IV): Eliminating Inequities in Oral Health (2021 – 2025) in 2021. The IOHP IV has been a critical framework for supporting the oral health needs of Illinoisans and is aimed to address oral health disparities and to improve oral health services.

The IOHP IV was developed to focus on utility, awareness, and sustainability, and aligns with IDPH’s mission and goals. More so, it was informed by stakeholders across the state, highlighting the commitment for collaborative and community-focused oral health initiatives.

To better understand the usefulness of IOHP IV and to implement stakeholder strategies and challenges encountered, an electronic evaluation survey using the Illinois Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) secure web application was used to collect important feedback from June 1 to June 30, 2023. More than 60 respondents representing various organizations and professions, including local health departments, community health centers, oral health providers, and program managers, were collected and analyzed.

Overall, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with respondents praising the effort for its comprehensiveness and for providing a vital tool for shaping oral health services and infrastructure. A significant proportion of the respondents expressed alignment with Goal 1: Improve oral health status and self-care practices by addressing social  determinants of health promotion (46.7%); Goal 3: Integrate and expand health promotion, primary prevention, and assurance of appropriate care (40.0%); and Goal 2: Align infrastructure and workforce to promote timely and equitable access to oral health care (38.3%). The fact that more than half of the organizations indicated direct support for goals 1 and 3 demonstrates the relevance of IOHP IV and the shared commitment to improving oral health status and promoting health promotion and prevention. More so, the sustainability of activities implemented to support these goals appears promising. For goals 1 and 2, the majority of respondents indicated that the actions were considered sustainable or very sustainable (63.0% and 56.5%, respectively).

OHS hopes to keep promoting the IOHP IV through creative and innovative ways, such as this newsletter and conference presentations, to increase awareness and buy-in, as well as to engage in discussions to overcome challenges. OHS’ mission is to ensure continued collaboration with oral health partners in alignment with the IOHP IV. OHS is committed to addressing funding, staffing, workforce shortages, staff education and training challenges, and reconnecting oral health to health care systems.