Every child deserves a healthy smile and Dr. Richard Meckstroth of West Virginia University, a Smiles Across America® partner, is working to ensure just that. When he heard the story of a 16-year-old girl in West Virginia who desperately needed a new smile, Dr. Meckstroth helped get the care she needed. Find out more about this story and the people and businesses who are making it possible.

OHA’s Wisdom Tooth Project® presented a $15,000 grant to the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine to support a series of Oral Medicine Clinics which will improve the oral health of low-income and vulnerable adults in the Buffalo, NY area. Read more about how OHA is helping this community in need.

Every February, the focus turns to children and oral health in celebration of National Children’s Dental Health Month. Across the country, organizations celebrate by spreading the word about the importance of oral health care for children through press releases, activities, and events to educate the public. OHA is dedicated to oral health for children, particularly through Smiles Across America® (SAA), which provides grant money and donated dental product to school-based and school-linked oral health programs throughout the country.

Just in time for National Children’s Dental Health Month, OHA has launched a new process for the SAA Product Donation Project. Along with updated requirements for organizations requesting dental product donations, the application is now entirely online, allowing for a more streamlined and efficient submission process. Visit the Product Donation Project page for more information and to view the 2012 application.

Most teenagers just want to fit in and be accepted by their peers, but for one 16-year-old in West Virginia, this was impossible. Kaila suffers from amelogenesis imperfecta, an inherited condition where the teeth have abnormal enamel, looking yellow and easily becoming damaged. Kaila’s high school principal describes her as a great student but kids were constantly teasing her about her teeth, so her principal decided to reach out and help Kaila get a new smile. Kaila’s story reached the ears of Dr. Richard Meckstroth from  the School of Dentistry at West Virginia University (WVU), a Smiles Across America® partner. Around Thanksgiving, Dr. Meckstroth decided that he was going to make sure Kaila got a new smile for Christmas.

Since Kaila lives a few hours away from WVU, Dr. Meckstroth contacted a hotel nearby where the manager graciously paid for Kaila’s stay while she underwent treatment at the University.  Glidewell Laboratories agreed to donate Bio-Temp provisional crowns as a temporary fix so that Kaila could have a new smile while continuing to undergo more permanent treatment, shown in the photo above.

Thank you to Dr. Meckstroth, WVU, and all of the businesses and doctors who have donated products, time, and services to make one child’s life so much better!

On December 20, 2011 in Buffalo, OHA presented a check for $15,000 as a seed grant to support a series of Oral Medicine Clinics, which will operate 10 half-day sessions from January to December 2012 at Sheehan Hospital and provide care regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.  Led by Dr. Michael Glick, Dean of the UB School of Dental Medicine, the Oral Medicine Clinics seek to link the foundational knowledge of medicine into dentistry.  By focusing on medically complex adult patients and the diagnosis and non-surgical management of medical disorders affecting oral health, the clinics will bring together multidisciplinary health care leaders to serve the oral health needs of a growing—and increasingly vulnerable—population of adults in Buffalo.

Why Buffalo?

It’s no surprise that the nation’s economic recession has threatened to take a particularly harsh toll on cities like Buffalo, NY, which once thrived on heavy industry and trading.  As a result, one in three Buffalo residents now lives in poverty.  For the past several years, this hub on the shores of Lake Erie has also suffered losses of health care programs –many of which provide dental services for low-income adults and older adults.

The closing of dental clinics at Buffalo General Hospital, Deaconess, and Judge Mattina Community Health Center left an extensive gap in care for vulnerable older adults facing morbidities and chronic conditions beyond the mouth.  In the midst of these closures, the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine has teamed up with Sheehan Health Network to fill the gap in dental care for older adults in Buffalo.

Oral Health America learned of the need in Buffalo and recognized a strong fit for its Wisdom Tooth Project for older adults, a national program dedicated to connecting communities with resources, educating the public, and advocating for the oral health of our nation’s fastest growing age group.  At the request of Ivoclar Vivadent, an OHA contributor and Buffalo area business, OHA investigated ways to support dental services for underserved adults in Buffalo, and decided to start by making a financial commitment to the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine’s effort to serve those in need of a dental home.

Learn more about the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine and OHA’s Wisdom Tooth Project.

Karen Pesce, RN, Executive Director of MORE HEALTH, a Smiles Across America® partner, recently made a donation to Oral Health America. We asked her why she decided to give.

“I feel it is important to give back to organizations that you personally know and are passionate about their mission. What better place to look than a nonprofit that supports initiatives that we are involved in at the local level. As a grantee, I am happy to make a donation to OHA, for I believe in their mission and vision. I especially appreciate the guidance Beth Truett and her staff provides to the many organizations throughout the country to promote oral health for all citizens.”

Thank you, Karen, for your generous gift and for all the work you do with MORE HEALTH, Inc.

Question: It’s Gala Season—who are you going to call?

Answer: Melissa Hoebbel or Emma Harwell

OHA’s Communications and Events Manager Melissa Hoebbel is expanding her responsibilities for Oral Health America’s Gala & Benefit, and is overseeing the planning and execution of this highly anticipated event. The Gala returns to Chicago’s Navy Pier on February 22, 2012.  For more information or to purchases tickets, contact Melissa at (312) 836-9900, ext. 16, or email Melissa@oralhealthamerica.org.  Emma Harwell, who joined Oral Health America as Development Coordinator in August 2011 is working closely with Melissa on the Gala.  She can be reached at (312) 836-9900, ext. 25, or email Emma@oralhealthamerica.org.

Question: Is someone in Joe Donohue’s Chair?

Answer: Yes! Brad McLaughlin

On December 5, Brad McLaughlin joined OHA as Director of Development. Brad comes to OHA with an extensive career that includes both nonprofit and corporate experience.  Most recently, Brad served as Vice President & Chief Development Officer at the Howard Brown Health Center (HBHC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender healthcare organization serving over 36,000 individuals annually.  Brad has also worked as the Executive Director at Better Existence with HIV and the Director of Development at Test Positive Aware Network. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work at Oral Health America,” said Brad.  “At HBHC oral health care is an integral and critical component in comprehensive health screening, so I recognize the importance of OHA’s mission. I am excited to be a part of the dental industry and working with this amazing group.”  Brad can be reached at (312) 836-9900, ext. 14, or email Brad.McLaughlin@oralhealthamerica.org.

Question: Where is Liz Rogers Headed?

Answer: Back to School for a Master’s Degree

Oral Health America would like to offer our appreciation to Vice President Liz Rogers, who has been accepted into the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service to pursue her Master’s degree in health policy and management.  Liz’s last day as Vice President was December 15. Oral Health America will miss Liz both professionally and personally but we thank her and wish her all the best while she follows her dreams.

“It has been an extraordinary experience to spend twelve and a half years supporting Oral Health America’s work at the national and community levels,” said Liz.  “There are so many individuals who have shared their knowledge with me, and I am tremendously grateful for all of the opportunities that have come my way.  I will miss my OHA colleagues and am honored to have worked with them.  It is hard to say goodbye!”

FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO

As always, you are welcome to contact Beth Truett, President & CEO at (312) 836-9900, ext. 11 or Beth@oralhealthamerica.org. Oral Health America changes lives by connecting communities with resources to increase access to care, education and advocacy for all Americans, especially those most vulnerable.

Oral Health America wants to be a part of the oral healthcare solution and we need your continuing support. The funds raised by OHA each year allow us to support our programs and partners in vulnerable communities across the country. In 2010, we were able to reinvest 76 cents of every dollar back into our programs, reaching people in all corners of America to build healthy mouths for healthy lives.

As you consider making your end of year contributions, we hope you will give a gift to OHA. Your participation is appreciated and your contributions make us stronger. Thank you for playing your part to make OHA great. With your support, we can bring healthy mouths to life!

Beth Truett

President & CEO | Oral Health America

Under the agreement that MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association have announced, big-league players, managers and coaches will no longer be able to carry a tobacco tin or package in their uniforms at games, or any time that fans are in the ballpark. They will be prohibited from using smokeless tobacco during televised interviews, at autograph signings and other events where they meet fans, or at team-sponsored appearances. The restrictions will become effective in the five-year contract to take effect in 2012; violators are subject to discipline.

We continue to support a complete prohibited on tobacco use at games and on camera. Still, this is significant progress.  Baseball players have been using tobacco since the earliest days of the game. This agreement marks the first time that the league and the players have recognized it is time to break this unhealthy addiction.

We urge individual players to go further than the agreement, and completely eliminate their use of smokeless tobacco at games.

At a time when the tobacco industry is spending record sums to promote smokeless products and hook a new generation of youth, we are pleased that Major League Baseball and big-league players will join forces on a nationwide public service campaign on tobacco use that is aimed at youth, and particularly at young baseball players. Members of the MLBPA are role models for young fans, and their participation in this outreach program will be truly valuable.

The agreement also bolsters tobacco education programs for players, and creates a new MLBPA center on cessation to help players quit.  We in the public health community stand ready to assist the league, the union and any player who needs help in quitting tobacco use.

We applaud Commissioner Bud Selig and Michael Weiner, executive director of the MLBPA, for their leadership in developing this important plan to protect players’ health and the well-being of countless kids.

We also applaud the members of Congress who have spoken out and provided important leadership on this issue, including Sens. Richard Durbin of Illinois, Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey,  Tom Harkin of Iowa and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, and Reps. Henry Waxman of California and Frank Pallone of New Jersey.

The new tobacco limits also are the result of hard work by a broad, national coalition of supporters and fans who came together to bring this issue to public attention and press for a prohibition in the contract.

The campaign to Knock Tobacco Out of the Park began last November with 10 major medical and public health groups including Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Cancer Society, American Dental Association, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, American Medical Association, Legacy, Oral Health America and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The coalition grew over the course of the baseball season to include more than 200 supporters, including dozens of public officials around the country, youth baseball leagues, notable baseball figures, faith leaders, state and local health groups and others. Fans and advocates sent more than 35,000 messages to Major League Baseball, MLB teams and players, urging them to act.

We are gratified that baseball listened, and we look forward to the 2012 season.

More information: http://www.tobaccofreebaseball.org/