Socotto P. Garcia was brushing her 17-month-old son Daniel’s teeth when she noticed something wasn’t quite right.

“The color looked a little different on one of the front teeth,” Garcia said. “I started looking to see what was wrong with that tooth.”

Tuesday morning, the Garcia family decided to take Daniel to the Wilson County Health Department to see what was wrong with the tooth.

Turns out little Daniel has a cavity on the back of that front tooth, said Valerie Brock, child public health nurse, after examining him.

The Wilson County Health Department has a new dental screening and fluoride varnishing program called “Into the Mouths of Babes,” which allows parents to bring in children as young as 6 months old to have a dental screening and fluoride varnish applied to the teeth.

The program, which is funded by the state, is for children up to 3 1/2 years of age and the treatments are suggested to be given every six months. The program started March 8.

“Getting the varnish is just like having a fluoride treatment at the dentist,” said Kay Long, child health coordinator. “We just put a very small amount of the varnish on the teeth and it sticks to the teeth until parents brush it off the next day.”

Long said the varnish tastes like bubble gum and the procedure doesn’t hurt the child.

“Children do make a fuss,” Brock said. “But it’s only because they don’t want you to go into their mouth.”

Brock said Daniel cried because he didn’t understand what she was doing.

“His father held him and comforted him,” she said.

Long said the sooner parents bring their children get the varnish, the fewer cavities they will probably have. She said studies show children receiving the procedure have fewer cavity-related treatments in a dental office than children who do not receive the treatment.

Brock said it also helps children to continue into adulthood with dental care when they start early.

Health department officials are trying to get more parents educated about why it is important for children to have regular dental check-ups.

“You would be surprised to know how many children don’t see the dentist,” Long said. “Statistics say 40 percent of children who start kindergarten have cavities.”

Long said many times children come to the health department for their well child check-ups needed to enter school and she finds their teeth and gums are in bad shape.

One reason very young children get cavities is because parents put babies to bed with a bottle.

“Milk has sugars in it and when a baby falls asleep with milk in his mouth, the sugar from the milk sits on the teeth,” Long said. “Toddlers also have sugary drinks in their sippy cups. All of those things cause cavities.”

Access to dental care for some parents is out of reach, Long said.

“There are not many pediatric dentists and only 25 percent of North Carolina dentists participate in Medicaid,” Long said. “So many children don’t get to see the dentist.”

It is not necessary for a child to receive any other health department services to get the dental screening services.

But the parent or guardian of the child must be present when the child gets the varnish.

“It is important that the person who cares for the child be here so they can learn first-hand about cavity prevention and what they can do,” Long said.

Appointments are not necessary. Walk-ins are welcome.

Garcia was brushing her 17-month-old son Daniel’s teeth when she noticed something wasn’t quite right.

“The color looked a little different on one of the front teeth,” Garcia said. “I started looking to see what was wrong with that tooth.”

Tuesday morning, the Garcia family decided to take Daniel to the Wilson County Health Department to see what was wrong with the tooth.

Turns out little Daniel has a cavity on the back of that front tooth, said Valerie Brock, child public health nurse, after examining him.

The Wilson County Health Department has a new dental screening and fluoride varnishing program called “Into the Mouths of Babes,” which allows parents to bring in children as young as 6 months old to have a dental screening and fluoride varnish applied to the teeth.

The program, which is funded by the state, is for children up to 3 1/2 years of age and the treatments are suggested to be given every six months. The program started March 8.

“Getting the varnish is just like having a fluoride treatment at the dentist,” said Kay Long, child health coordinator. “We just put a very small amount of the varnish on the teeth and it sticks to the teeth until parents brush it off the next day.”

Long said the varnish tastes like bubble gum and the procedure doesn’t hurt the child.

“Children do make a fuss,” Brock said. “But it’s only because they don’t want you to go into their mouth.”

Brock said Daniel cried because he didn’t understand what she was doing.

“His father held him and comforted him,” she said.

Long said the sooner parents bring their children get the varnish, the fewer cavities they will probably have. She said studies show children receiving the procedure have fewer cavity-related treatments in a dental office than children who do not receive the treatment.

Brock said it also helps children to continue into adulthood with dental care when they start early.

Health department officials are trying to get more parents educated about why it is important for children to have regular dental check-ups.

“You would be surprised to know how many children don’t see the dentist,” Long said. “Statistics say 40 percent of children who start kindergarten have cavities.”

Long said many times children come to the health department for their well child check-ups needed to enter school and she finds their teeth and gums are in bad shape.

One reason very young children get cavities is because parents put babies to bed with a bottle.

“Milk has sugars in it and when a baby falls asleep with milk in his mouth, the sugar from the milk sits on the teeth,” Long said. “Toddlers also have sugary drinks in their sippy cups. All of those things cause cavities.”

Access to dental care for some parents is out of reach, Long said.

“There are not many pediatric dentists and only 25 percent of North Carolina dentists participate in Medicaid,” Long said. “So many children don’t get to see the dentist.”

It is not necessary for a child to receive any other health department services to get the dental screening services.

But the parent or guardian of the child must be present when the child gets the varnish.

“It is important that the person who cares for the child be here so they can learn first-hand about cavity prevention and what they can do,” Long said.

Appointments are not necessary. Walk-ins are welcome.

DentalPlans.com, the leading online marketer of discount dental plans, announced a new relationship today that allows members of two Office Depot reward programs, the Worklife Rewards(R) program and the Star Teacher program, to access exclusive pricing on more than 30 plans from DentalPlans.com.

The relationship is a collaborative effort to help small business owners and teachers access much-needed discounts. While Office Depot’s Worklife Rewards(R) and Star Teacher programs allow small business owners and teachers, respectively, to save on the supplies they need most, DentalPlans.com‘s discount dental plans allow individuals, families and groups to access quality dental care savings at participating dentists nationwide.

According to a recent Harris Interactive/Health Day poll, 51 percent of uninsured and 30 percent of insured Americans skipped necessary dental care visits during the last year due to financial burdens. With rising dental care costs, the discount dental plans from www.DentalPlans.com present affordable alternatives to dental insurance that help alleviate the burden of dental care bills.

Members of Office Depot’s Worklife Rewards(R) and Star Teacher programs can visit www.MyWorkLifeRewards.com/partners and www.MyStarTeacher.com/partners, and click on the DentalPlans.com logo.

“In today’s economy, everyone is looking to save. DentalPlans.com is committed to helping small businesses trim costs while still offering a competitive dental care option to their employees,” said Buddy Johnson, CEO of DentalPlans.com. “Our relationship with Office Depot will allow us to reach more small business owners and in turn, to help more individuals and families save at the dentist.”

To learn more about business opportunities with DentalPlans.com, please contact Jenn Stoll at JStoll@DentalPlans.com or 954-668-2122.

About DentalPlans.com

DentalPlans.com has been providing individuals, families, businesses and groups with affordable discount dental plans since 1999. As the top-ranked dental plan website and the leading online marketer of discount dental plans, DentalPlans.com is devoted to improving oral health by making quality dental care affordable and accessible to everyone across the nation. Get Dentalplans coupon here

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation commends Congress for its recognition of the urgent need to comprehensively and substantially strengthen oral health care for our most vulnerable children.

Most recently, the Senate version of health reform represents a high water mark for oral health legislation, with more than two dozen important provisions aimed at improving oral health care, which include:

– Expanding insurance coverage for pediatric oral health services and

eligibility for preventive oral health services without co-payments.

– Launching new dental disease prevention initiatives including public

education, school- based sealant programs in all 50 states, and research

grants for dental caries management.

– Addressing critical dental care workforce issues and the cultural

competence and diversity of the provider teams through expanded training

programs and education resources for general, pediatric and public

health dentists and for the exploration of new solutions for dental

professionals to reach rural and underserved areas.

Access issues are particularly severe in many rural and urban communities, and particularly impact children and families of color. The rate of untreated decay in American Indian and Alaska Native children is more than 3 times higher than that of all children in the United States. It is known that those who lack affordable health insurance are at increased risk for unmet dental needs, and together with children from poor and/or minority families, these two categories amount to 52 percent of children in this country.

Untreated dental disease many times leads to serious, life-threatening medical situations. For too long, oral health has long been separated from the rest of the body in most health policy conversations, even though oral health is essential to overall health.

We are pleased that Congress is bringing oral health into the conversation to improve our nation’s overall health. These issues have historically received broad bi-partisan support, and we look forward to continued progress.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation supports children, families, and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society. Improving oral health for children and families is an important component of our work to improve overall health, eliminate racial disparities in health, and provide needed health care to those who are underserved.

SOURCE W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Credit: W.K. Kellogg Foundation

CORRECTION: In the news release, ADA Launches Community Dental Health Coordinator Pilot Program at Temple University, issued 24-Nov-2009 by American Dental Association over PR Newswire, we are advised by the organization that the ninth paragraph, second sentence, should read “Salish Kootenai College in Montana” rather than “in Wyoming” as originally issued inadvertently. The complete, corrected release follows

ADA Launches Community Dental Health Coordinator Pilot Program at Temple University

CHICAGO, Nov. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The American Dental Association (ADA) has signed an agreement with Temple University to train new dental team members as part of a pilot program to improve the oral health in underserved communities.

The Community Dental Health Coordinator (CDHC) is a member of the dental health team who works in communities where residents have limited access to dental care to improve their oral health.

The CDHC provides a limited range of preventive dental care services — including screenings and fluoride treatments. However, of greater importance to these communities, the CDHC will help patients navigate the health system and access care by a dentist or an appropriate clinic and engage in educational activities to improve community members’ oral health habits.

Temple will recruit and train CDHCs from urban locations in Philadelphia over the next two years, returning them to their communities to work as dental team members under the supervision of dentists.

Although the CDHC is a new dental team member whose merits are not yet known, many studies of the community health worker (CHW) model indicate that they can make significant contributions to a community. Because the CDHC will function much like a CHW, the ADA believes that they, too, will have a positive impact on the oral health of their communities through education and outreach.

“We are delighted to welcome Temple’s participation,” said ADA President Dr. Ron Tankersley. “The pilot at Temple will help us understand the effectiveness of a dental health coordinator in underserved urban settings.”

Dr. Amid Ismail, dean of Temple University’s Kornberg School of Dentistry and one of the architects of the CDHC program, explained why the program is seeking to place CDHC trainees in their own communities.

“Our aim is to ensure that the coordinator is able to bridge the gap between local cultures and health care systems. The CDHC can help improve people’s oral health habits and help patients navigate the social and bureaucratic barriers that prevent them from gaining access to available dental health services,” Dr. Ismail said.

Temple is the third of three pilot CDHC program sites. Two other pilot programs are directed by University of Oklahoma, which is training CDHCs from rural areas, and the University of California at Los Angeles, which, in conjunction with Salish Kootenai College in Montana, is training students from American Indian communities.

The ADA has funded the program, which will train six students per site each year.

About the American Dental Association

The not-for-profit ADA is the nation’s largest dental association, representing more than 157,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public’s health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA’s state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. The monthly Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) is the ADA’s flagship publication and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more information about the ADA, visit the Association’s Web site at www.ada.org.

SOURCE American Dental Association

Credit: American Dental Association

More than 50 percent of the children enrolled in 80 elementary schools in Salt Lake, Davis and Tooele counties are living in poverty. Those children, who reside in low-income households, usually suffer from significant amounts of tooth decay and lack of oral health care. Dental Select recognizes the need of Utah’s underprivileged children in the community and has committed to financially supporting Sealants for Smiles, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing oral-health education and dental sealants to underserved children.

Recently honored as the title sponsor at Sealants for Smiles 2nd Annual Gala Benefit held at the Grand America in Salt Lake City, Dental Select was recognized for its 2009 contribution of more than $400,000. This commitment will allow Sealants for Smiles to expand school visits into more Utah counties, increase the number of oral health presentations, and ultimately place more sealants on the 2nd and 6th grade children who need them.

During the 2007 and 2008 school year, Dental Select contributed more than $420,000 to Sealants for Smiles. As the sole administrator for this program, Dental Select continually provides Sealants for Smiles with necessary technology expenses, an office facility, staff wages and salaries in order to allow 100% of donations to go directly toward advancing program services.

In the past two years, Sealants for Smiles has placed more than 31,000 dental sealants on children who were screened with moderate to urgent dental needs. Because of Dental Select’s contributions, Sealants for Smiles can continue to expand and see a larger percentage of underprivileged children each year to improve Utah’s community youth.

Dental Select, headquartered in Salt Lake City, is the largest dental provider in the state of Utah, and provides benefits to more than 5,000 client groups across Utah, Texas and Nevada. Dental Select specializes in affordable and flexible dental plans, offering a wide array of discount, PPO, Indemnity, and self-funded dental plans. With over 20 years experience, Dental Select has been a recurring Utah 100 company, and on the Inc. 500 list of America’s fastest growing companies. More information regarding Dental Select is available by visiting the company’s web site at www.dentalselect.com or by calling 800-999-9789.

Health Reform Bill unveiled in Senate yesterday contains key provisions to provide unprecedented oral health resources for all Americans

Children’s Dental Health Project

Meg Booth, 202-441-0299

Logo: http://www.cdhp.org

The Children’s Dental Health Project (CDHP) today applauded the U.S. Senate for recognizing the importance of oral health with the introduction of its health reform bill. Unveiled last night, the Senate’s bill includes a historic commitment to strengthen oral health among the nation’s vulnerable populations, and is a major step toward matching public resources to counter the “silent epidemic” of poor oral health among America’s children that was the subject of a warning from the U.S. Surgeon General more than a decade ago.

“The Senate has taken a historic step toward safeguarding the oral health of millions of Americans,” said CDHP chair and founder Dr. Burt Edelstein. “From prevention and treatment to more effective use of data and workforce development, the Senate’s health care reform bill is a strong commitment to children and other populations who are most vulnerable to dental disease. In particular, Senator Jeff Bingaman, in addition to Senators Snowe, Rockefeller, Dodd, and Reid have been champions for provisions in this bill that have the potential to improve dental health for children and families across the nation.”

The Senate bill includes the following oral health care measures:

– Expanded coverage. Insurance coverage for pediatric oral health services and eligibility for preventive oral health services without co-payments.

– Prevention. Dental disease prevention initiatives including public education, school-based sealant programs in all 50 states, and research grants for dental caries management.

– Tracking and monitoring. Resources for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other organizations that track of oral health and the use of dental services among pregnant women and other vulnerable populations.

– Workforce development. Expanded training programs and education resources for general, pediatric and public health dentists and those who train and educate future dental caregivers in rural areas and among underserved populations; and demonstration grants for alternative dental health providers.

– Safety net improvements. Initiatives to provide more access to care including federally-funded school-based health centers and creation of a commission to study oral healthcare workforce capacity.

– Infrastructure improvements. Public health infrastructure improvements in the states to bolster public oral health programs, including CDC authorization to establish oral health leadership and program guidance, oral health data collection and interpretation, a multi-dimensional delivery system for oral health, and science-based programs to improve oral health.

The House’s health care reform bill passed earlier this month contains many of the same measures, which Edelstein said points to a bicameral commitment to improving oral health.

“As the bill moves toward passage in the Senate and a conference with the U.S. House, it is vital to preserve these provisions,” said Edelstein. “We are confident that members of the House and Senate will remain steadfast in their commitment to oral health and will work together to ensure that the oral health measures contained in this legislation remain strong.”

About the Children’s Dental Health Project:

The Children’s Dental Health Project advances policies that improve children’s access to oral health through research-driven policies and innovative solutions by engaging a broad base of partners committed to children and oral health. For additional information please visit, www.cdhp.org.

-Monongalia County School’s Board of Education has tabled changes to the dental insurance plan until more research can be done.

The BOE made its decision Tuesday, after it received more information about possible changes.

The members learned about joining a Preferred Provider Organization, updating the policy and changing to a usual and customary rate.

But BOE President Nancy Walker said they wanted to have the whole policy reviewed, instead of making changes over of several months.

“I’d prefer to do this once and not come back,” she said.

Walker said she would like to see the exact plan before making any changes. She has also spoken to her dentist and several procedures the plan covers are outdated.

Walker said she wants board members to look at what exactly they are covering.

The discussion comes on the heels of a board vote to reverse changes made to the dental plan.

On Sept. 22, the board approved changing the way dentists made charges.

The vote was not on the agenda and was brought up during discussion of increasing benefits in the employees’ vision plan.

Employees receive a $1,500 allotment for their dental coverage, Superintendent Frank Devono said.

For example, if an employee receives a teeth cleaning that costs $100, he or she would have $1,400 to pay for other procedures.

Amber Zackery, co-president of the Monongalia County Education Association, said she was happy the board said it made a mistake and rescinded the vote.

She thought that vote overshadowed the good news about the increase in optical benefits approved at the same meeting.

The organization is going to try to work with the administration to determine the best benefit plan for its employees, Zackery said.

She said she doesn’t oppose changes to any insurance package, as long as it benefits the workers.

The board was informed of two possible changes it could make. The first was switching to a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO).

With the switch, there would be no coverage changes and enrollees could visit any doctor, said Robyn Dilley, of American Benefits, administrator for the board’s policy. But employees who visit a dentist in the organization would receive a discount on the procedure’s costs.

The board decided against joining any organization without more research.

It also learned about usual and customary rate. Dentists are surveyed about a procedure’s cost and a maximum amount set that the insurance would pay for a procedure.

The patient would pick up any costs over the rate.

Of the more than 10,000 preventive care claims in the past year, Dilley said, more than 3,000 would have been over the rate.

But nearly 2,400 were $10 or less over the rate. She said many dentists don’t bill that small of an amount because it isn’t worth the time to recoup the money.

Devono said if they do make changes, board members would like to use the savings to improve the dental plan, either by increasing an employee’s allotment or by offering coverage on different procedures.

Board member Barbara Parsons said she would like them to look at their insurance policies every year to see if they need updating or changing.

“This isn’t something you can do overnight,” she said.

Credit: The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.

DentalPlans.com, a US online marketer of discount dental plans, said on Monday that it has become a partner of Delta SkyMiles, the frequent flyer scheme of Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL).

This new agreement allows Delta SkyMiles members to earn miles when they join any discount dental plan from DentalPlans.com.

Active SkyMiles members will earn 1,500 miles for joining a family discount dental plan and 1,000 miles for joining an individual discount dental plan. DentalPlans.com is also offering SkyMiles members up to 2,000 miles when joining, for a limited time.

SAO PAULO, Nov. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Medial Saude S.A.(BM&FBovespa: MEDI3) announces the following webcast:

What:__ Third Quarter 2009 Earnings Conference Call

When:__ Friday, November 13, 2009 at 10:00 AM ET

Where:__ http://prnewswire.mediatown.com.br/player/?id=136

How:__ Live over the Internet — Simply log on to the web at the

address above.

Conference call dial-in phone numbers:

Toll-free from the U.S.: 1-888-700-0802;

Parties in Brazil: 55 (11) 4688-6361;

Parties in other countries: 1-786-924-6977

Contact: Medial Saude’s Investor Relations Area, +55-11-2112-4470, ri@medialsaude.com.br, or Daniela Ueda from FIRB – Financial Investor Relations for Medial Saude S.A., +55-11-3897-6857, daniela.ueda@firb.com

If you are unable to participate during the live webcast, the call will be archived at http://www.medialsaude.com.br. To access the replay, click on the Investor Relations section.

Medial is one of the largest conglomerates in the Brazilian supplementary healthcare industry, provides healthcare and dental plan coverage and operates an owned-delivery network of labs and hospitals. The Company had, by the end of June, over 1.9 million plan members, 10 hospitals, 48 healthcare clinics and 61 diagnostics units, in addition to a wide third-party healthcare network.

SOURCE Medial Saude S.A.

Credit: Medial Saude S.A.