Chicago, July 14, 2011—The investigation into innovative ways to increase the

public’s access to oral health care continued to build momentum this week as

the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its report, “Improving Access to

Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations.” This

thorough report was the result of more than a year of effort by an IOM

appointed committee to examine the evidence regarding the disparities in access

to oral health care in this nation and issue a call for a renewed commitment to

tackling this challenge.

The report—compiled by a diverse committee representing the dental, public

health and medical communities, after hearing the input of a variety of

stakeholders including ADHA—issues ten, wide-ranging recommendations designed

to help end the access to oral health care crisis. Among the recommendations

were calls to integrate oral health care into overall health care and to allow

allied dental professionals to practice to the full extent of their education

and training in a variety of settings under evidence-supported supervision

levels.  The report also recommends Congress, the Department of Health and

Human Services (HHS), federal agencies, and private foundations fund oral

health research and evaluation related to underserved and vulnerable

populations, including:

“On behalf of ADHA, I salute the IOM committee for its efforts in generating

this report. The recommendations provide a flexible, comprehensive system of

evidence-based solutions that will go a long way in addressing the access

crisis,” said ADHA President Pam Quinones, RDH, BS. “The recommendations

outlined in the report confirm the need for many efforts that are currently

underway and chart the course for new, forward-thinking innovations that oral

health stakeholders, along with policymakers, can work towards

collaboratively.”

The release of the IOM report this week follows the release of another oral

health report, Advancing Oral Health in America, in April. Both studies

were funded, in part, by the Health Resources and Services Administration

Welcome IOM Report Continued

“The

ongoing commitment from HRSA in the area of oral health is encouraging, as the

agency continues to promote an integrated approach to health care delivery and

highlight oral health as a part of total health,” noted Quinones.

The

full IOM report as well as an executive summary and information about the

committee charged with developing the report is available online at:

http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Improving-Access-to-Oral-Health-Care-for-Vulnerable-and-Underserved-Populations.aspx

ADHA

is the largest national organization representing the professional interests of

more than 150,000 dental hygienists across the country. Dental hygienists are

preventive oral health professionals, licensed in dental hygiene, who provide

educational, clinical and therapeutic services that support total health

through the promotion of optimal oral health. For more information about ADHA,

dental hygiene or the link between oral health and general health, visit ADHA

at www.adha.org <http://www.adha.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.adha.org/>