ABCD

Our 2018 Symposium was a Hit!

Presentation room, packed with people

On Friday, February 9th, the Pierce County Oral Health Coalition held it’s 2018 Symposium; “Brushing Up: Current Trends in Oral Health”.
We had more than a 100 attendees bringing together dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants and students from different oral health organizations and schools. The event was a resounding success! Everyone had the opportunity to learn more about Silver Diamine Fluoride, as well as the Baby Teeth Matter program. We all heard health updates on the Heroin/Opioid Crisis, E-Cigarettes, Vape and Hookah and the impacts of drug use on oral health. Below are photos from our event and below the photos are links to the event handouts and presentations.

 

 

 

Presentations and Handout Below:


Arcora BTM Canoe 2018
Baby Teeth Matter by Dr. Sean R. Kelly
Carol Roberton’s Presentation
DentalOpioidRecommendations_Web
Final UW Consent for SDF Handout
Opioid Epidemic Final – OH Summit
OralHealthSymposium- Arti Patel
SDF Pierce Co OHC PPT handout

 

CHC Spanaway Dental - Flyer

Community Health Care has opened a new dental clinic at their Spanaway location off Pacific Avenue by the Roy Y. The new clinic features six dental chairs and will provide oral health services for children, adults and seniors. Community Health Care accepts all Apple Health/Medicaid plans and they offer a sliding-fee scale which they use to adjust the cost of service based on a patient’s income. If you are interested in scheduling an appointment, please call (253) 210-5270. For more information about Community Health Care’s services and other clinics, please visit: www.commhealth.org

Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department releases Smile Survey

Toddler smiling while brushing her teeth

Toddler smiling while brushing her teeth

Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department has released the Smile Survey, a report which details the oral health of children in Pierce County. The report shows that compared to 2010, substantially fewer children have untreated decay and substantially more children have protective dental sealants.

This is due in part to the presence of the TPCHD School Based Oral-Health program, which connects dental providers to schools so dental staff can visit local schools to provide dental screenings, fluoride varnish, dental sealant applications and oral health education. The work these providers have done has greatly reduced the untreated decay in the county and provided far more access to preventive dental services, like sealants.

For access to the Smile Survey, and articles regarding the School Based Oral-Health Program, visit the links below:

 

2015 PC Smile Survey Final

Final Pierce op-ed

Pierce County SBHP

Children’s Dental Health Day

Children's Dental Health Day

 

It’s time for the Pierce County Dental Society’s 26th Annual Children’s Dental Health Day!

The event is on Saturday, February 25th from 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM at the South Hill Mall in Puyallup.

There are tons of Free Activities for Kids!

  • Dental Goodie Bags
  • Face Painting and Steve the Cartoon Guy
  • Dental Screenings and Referrals for Care
  • Flouride Varnish Applications
  • Sports Mouthguards
  • Lives demos by “Chompy the Carrot”!
  • Table Clinics with Dental Health Education

Special Appearances from Super Tooth and the Tooth Fairy!!!

Event sponsored by the Pierce County Dental Society, Pierce County Dental Foundation and the Washington Dental Service Foundation

Children’s Dental Health Day Flyer

It’s time for the Pierce County Dental Society’s 27th Annual Children’s Dental Health Day! 

The event is on Saturday, February 24th at 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM at the South Hill Mall in Puyallup.

There are tons of Free Activities for Kids!

  • Dental Goodie Bags
  • Face Painting
  • Dental Screenings for Anyone in the Family
  • Free and Low-cost referrals for those who qualify
  • Flouride Varnish Applications
  • Sports Mouthguards
  • Lives demos by “Chompy the Carrot”!
  • Table Clinics with Dental Health Education

Special Appearances from the Wisdom Tooth and the Tooth Fairy!!!

Event sponsored by the Pierce County Dental Society, Pierce County Dental Foundation and the Washington Dental Service Foundation

Recent update on Washington Apple Health Dental Coverage

WA Apple Health Dental Update Presentation 2016.03

On March 9, 2016, Pierce County Oral Health Coalition members and others convened to gain insight and updates on Washington State’s Apple Health (Medicaid) dental coverage for children and adults. In her presentation, Dianne Baum, Dental Program Administrator for Washington Apple Health shared: status and scope of dental benefits provided to our state’s residents who qualify for Apple Health benefits, state-wide Apple Health dental provider statistics, and important information on state provider audit programs and potential audit criteria and triggers.

Providers are responsible for checking the HCA website for updates. Washington’s Apple Health Dental Billing Guides are updated quarterly: January, April, July and October. There is a separate guide for the Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (“ABCD”) program. Ms. Baum suggested signing up for “go-delivery” e-mails and visiting the Dental webpage.

An engaging question and answer session followed the presentation, focused primarily on preauthorization of dental services and other claims handling issues. Ms. Baum’s presentation included helpful links and contact information for providers. Apple Health clients will also find valuable information about their benefits on HCA’s “For Clients” page, including a current summary of adult dental benefits.

This was incredibly helpful and specific information for dental billers, and nice to have additional Health Care Authority Apple Health resource information,” remarked one participant.

Presentation Handouts: