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Dental Tribune U.S. Edition

XXXXX a8 Dental Tribune U.S. Edition | April 2014 Industry News Ad Program targets older adults’ oral health By Jennifer Gilbert Oral Health America Older adults — the most rapidly grow- ing segment of the population in the United States — are facing a crisis when it comes to oral health. According to a 2013 Harris Interactive survey com- missioned by Oral Health America, 23 percent of older adults have not seen a dental provider in five years, 70 percent do not have dental insurance, eight out of 10 uninsured seniors could not pay for a major dental procedure and 33 mil- lion live where dentists and clinics are scarce. Oral Health America, a national non- profit that aims to change lives by con- necting communities with resources to increase access to care, education and advocacy for all Americans, is working to turn these statistics around through the Wisdom Tooth Project™ (WTP), a program that focuses entirely on older adults. Website supports effort This past fall, the WTP launched www. toothwisdom.org, a first-of-its-kind Web portal providing oral health informa- tion and local and national resources for older adults, caregivers and oral health professionals. At the same time, the WTP released “A State of Decay,” a biennial publica- tion that evaluates states on five lead- ing indicators of adult oral health: adult Medicaid dental benefits, inclusion of older adult strategies in state oral health plans, edentulism, dental health profes- sional shortage areas and community water fluoridation. The report garnered local and national media attention when more than half of states failed to achieve a rating of 50.0 or greater. Regional symposia also unite diverse groups of health professionals and community leaders with the aim of inspiring strategic change to improve the oral health of older adults. The WTP’s latest endeavor is Tooth Wisdom: Get Smart About Your Mouth. This health education program will empower older adults who are aging at home to improve their oral health through daily self-care and increase their knowledge about oral health. Committee vets scientific accuracy To ensure the program is scientifically accurate and accessible, an older adult advisory committee has been assem- bled, consisting of professionals who at- tended last year’s “Collaborative Health Care for Older Adults: A Symposium for Creating Inter-professional Community Models” and have a continued interest in geriatric oral health. The committee meets regularly to dis- cuss the education program and offer recommendations. To learn more about Oral Health America and the WTP, you can visit www.oralhealthamerica.org and www. toothwisdom.org. Oral Health America is a national nonprofit working to improve older Americans’ oral health. Its Wisdom Tooth Project recently launched www. toothwisdom.org, a first-of-its-kind Web portal providing oral health information and local and national resources for older adults, caregivers and oral health profession- als. Photo/Provided by Oral Health America Oral Health America, with its Wisdom Tooth Project, aims to reverse growing crisis in U.S.