Oral Health Heroes

Media Advisory

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT: Sarah Shed (207) 622-7566 x 248 (207) 242-3263 Fax (207) 622-3616 sshed@mcd.org www.mainedentalaccess.org 11 Parkwood Augusta ME 04330

The Maine Dental Access Coalition Recognizes Oral Health Heroes

The 2012 “Oral Health Heroes” have been named by the Maine Dental Access Coalition. This award is given to people and programs that have demonstrated outstanding leadership and a strong commitment to improving the state of oral health in Maine through oral health advocacy, organizing, and service.

This year’s legislative heroes are Senator Christopher Rector, of Knox County, and Representative Mark Eves of North Berwick. Also being honored are Waterville Pediatrics, and Dr Timothy Oh, founder of Caring Hands of Maine in Ellsworth. The awards will be presented at the Maine Dental Access Coalition’s Legislative Tea, held at the Blaine House on January 10^th at 2:00 – 3:30.

According to Susan Cote, Vice Chair of the Coalition “Access to oral health care continues to be a serious problem in Maine, especially for those relying on our safety net system- those who are uninsured, underinsured or covered through public insurance. This year’s heroes were chosen for their willingness to explore and support new models of delivering oral health care.”Waterville Pediatrics is at the forefront of a growing trend of medical providers who are integrating oral health into the overall health care of patients, and using dental hygienists as part of the health team. This meets an especially acute need for children between infancy and age 4, when most do not see dentists, yet the opportunity for disease prevention is especially great. Dr Timothy Oh established a non-profit clinic, Caring Hands of Maine, Ellsworth, in response to the need he saw for dental care for lower income families and MaineCare members. He was also a prime mover behind the getting a volunteer team from the NYU dental school to Washington County to provide free oral health care. The team has come twice and plans return twice more, and will help get patients connected with ongoing dental care for long term follow-up.

Both Senator Rector and Representatives Ewes have long been champions of making sure that state policy reflects that good oral health care is in fact health care, and must be supported to avoid long-term health and employability consequences for Maine residents.On Tuesday, January 10, the Joint Standing Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research, and Economic Development will be briefed on the Institute of Medicine’s 2011 report on addressing dental access problems. Shelly Gehshan, director of the Pew Children’s Dental Campaign and a member of the IOM panel, will present the briefing.

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