All Health Workers and Oral Health Advocates are welcomed!  Seats are still available. 
Please register online at:  http://tinyurl.com/yyu7x69s

 
​The Spring 2019 issue of our newsletter is now available.  View the issue online here!
You can also subscribe to our newsletter here to receive quarterly updates on the SF DTI project.  

The second DTI Dental Access Collaborative is now open for enrollment.  This time, we are recruiting 15 dental practices in San Francisco to participate in this collaborative to learn Quality Improvement methodologies and evidence-based best practices to serve patients 0-5 more effectively!  

Practices participating in the first Collaborative shared many positive feedback about the clinical best practices, QI methodologies they learned, and the network and mentorship opportunities available through the Collaborative. 
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Application deadline is May 31, 2019.  ​

The second Collaborative activities will begin September 2019 and run through March of 2020.  For more information, visit the Pilot 1 Dental Access Collaborative Enrollment page.  

First 5 California has a kit for new parents that includes the latest California Parent Guide, a Baby's 1st touch and feel book, and lots of other great information to get new parents and their newborn on track to health and wellness.  The new Parent Guide also includes guidance on oral health to help keep baby's teeth healthy.
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Kits are available in English and Spanish, and are free to order and can be ordered in quantities of 5-5oo.  

Providers are welcome to order these kits by contacting Vicki Law at [email protected] or by phone at (831) 726-6459.   

The California Oral Health Network is requesting input on statewide oral health data needs to get more information about current data needs around oral health.  They are collecting input via this survey to be shared with the California Department of Health Care Services.

Oral Health Data Survey

The survey is 16 questions long and is open for participation until March 4, 2019, Monday.  

Coming in April of 2019, HealthRIGHT 360 Dental Clinic will serve children 0-18 years old and patients with Denti-Cal.  Scheduling for appointments is expecting to open as early as March 2019.
For appointments, call (415) 742-8520.

These free events kick off  National Children's Dental Health Month in February!

Families can take their children for free dental screenings and preventive care  ~  to get familiar with their local dental clinic and staff, while enjoying fun games and gifts for the kids and families! 
Flyers for the event are available for download in English, Spanish, and Chinese. ​

Share this information widely with your patients, clients and community members.  

Wishing all of our DTI staff and partners a wonderful new year.  Many thanks to all for your dedication to improving the oral health of children in San Francisco.  We look forward to more incredible work in partnership with all of you in the new year!

Sincerely,
​SF DTI LDPP team

The enrollment for Dental Access Collaborative for 2019 is now open.  Deadline for registration is January 9, 2019.  Enroll here.

The Collaborative will teach dental clinics how to administer efficient clinic systems and provide quality preventive services to Denti-Cal beneficiaries in a sustainable manner. It will provide dental clinics with opportunities to learn and practice the skills they need to integrate continuous quality improvement into their ongoing and daily work. 

Participating dental clinics are expected to:

1. Form an Improvement team with other individuals from your clinic
2. Attend three in-person Learning Session trainings (two days each) with your Improvement team and participate in monthly one-hour webinar calls
3. Comply with all data collection and reporting aspects of the Collaborative
4. Currently see children 0-5, OR be willing to learn how through the support of the Collaborative.

Participating dental clinics will receive:

1. A stipend of $1,000 per day for up to six days (not to exceed $6,000) for your Improvement team to attend the three in-person Learning Sessions (two days each). This is intended to help offset the costs of staff time out of your clinic.
2. The offering of CDE credits for attending in-person Learning Sessions.
3. The opportunity to be mentored by a pediatric dentist who will support you in caring for patients 0-5 years old. 

  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

Every year, in partnership with the San Francisco Unified School District and the San Francisco Dental Society, the San Francisco Department of Public Health Dental Programs conduct oral health screenings for San Francisco kindergarteners.
Last year (2017-2018) a total of 3,956 kindergarteners from 73 schools were screened.  In San Francisco, 32% of all kindergarteners screened have experienced cavities by kindergarten.  Significant oral health disparities still continue to exist between kindergarteners of color and white kindergarteners. 

 Disparities also exist geographically across the city.  Low income neighborhoods in the city have higher rates of cavities experience.

2018 National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) Annual Conference
Sunday, November 11, 2018 –Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel
500 Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
 
A 4-day conference held by the National Network for Oral Health Access focused on professional development with clinical, practice management and hands-on learning sessions.
 
Click here for more information and to register.

 Howard County Unsweetened, a coalition in Howard County Maryland promoting healthier beverage choices, created a series of 30 second ads for Halloween. Learn more at DrinksInDisguise.org

The Fall issue of the SF DTI Newsletter is now available.  This issue includes the latest kindergarten oral health screening data, links to the new Medi-Cal dental programs (Denti-Cal) website, and more.
Read the latest issue here.   

Medi-Cal Dental Programs (Denti-Cal) announced their new Smile, California website, http://smilecalifornia.org/. 

The new website is available in English and Spanish and has many resources  on dental coverage and oral health for Medi-Cal members.  Useful resources include a Covered Services page with a breakdown of Medi-Cal covered dental services by age groups, tips on dental visits and oral health care, as well as a section for Partners and Providers with oral health education and outreach resources including videos, presentation slide decks and webinars.  

Medi-Cal Dental Programs is launching a statewide awareness and utilization campaign, titled "Smile, California".  Learn more at a live webinar on September 26, 2018, at 1pm.  See details below!

SAVE THE DATE! 
 
Please join us on Wednesday, September 26 at 1p.m. as we present a live webinar about the Smile, California campaign, the new statewide awareness and utilization campaign aimed at helping Medi-Cal members make the most of their dental benefit.
 
The campaign, which will launch next month, aims to send one simple reassuring message to the more than 13 million Californians covered by Medi-Cal: Smile, California, Medi-Cal Has Dental Covered.

The one-hour webinar will provide a step-by-step demonstration of SmileCalifornia.org and details on how to participate in the upcoming campaign launch. It is our hope you will embrace this campaign and brand as part of your service to Medi-Cal members.
 
Dial-in number (US): (855) 212-0212
Access code: 408-412-727#
International dial-in numbers: https://stme.in/i/rse19
Online meeting ID: rse19
Join the online meeting: https://join.startmeeting.com/rse19

 Smile On!
The Smile California Team

SFDPH is seeking input from populations most impacted by sugary drinks in order to develop a grant process. SFDPH started by convening focus groups to learn from the community what their needs, capacity and desires related to healthy eating and active living.  As a next course of action, SFDPH is hosting 5 town halls in September to:

1. reflect on the input from those community focus groups; and 
2. gather more input to inform the development of the Request For Proposals for the sugary drinks tax.

Here is a complete listing of all the Town Halls:

1. Bayview Hunters Point – Tuesday, September 11, 2018. 6pm – 8pm; Southeast Facilities Commission, 1800 Oakdale Ave
   
2. Mission – TBD
   
3. OMI – Monday, September 17, 2018. 6pm – 8pm; Minnie & Lovie Ward Rec Center, 650 Capitol Ave.
4. Tenderloin – Wednesday, September 19, 2018, 5:30-7:30pm, SF Main Library – Latino Room, 100 Larkin St
   
5. Western Addition – Thursday, September 20, 2018; 6pm – 8pm; Hamilton Recreation Center, Multipurpose room 1, 1900 Geary Blvd
   

Visit www.shapeupsfcoalition.org/input for more details and help spread the word! Food and drinks will be provided and interpretation services and childcare are available upon request.  Flyers are available in English, Spanish and Chinese. 

Many thanks to NICOS Chinese health Coalition, the lead agency of the Chinatown Community Oral Health Taskforce for sharing these interesting articles on oral health disparities and oral health in Asian American communities. 
List of Articles

• How Chinese differ from Westerners in Oral Health (Ruggles Media)
• Oral Health Disparities and Inequities in Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (American Journal of Public Health)
• Asian-Americans Face Barriers in Oral Healthcare (Dentistry Today)
• Dental Health Is Worse in Communities of Color (Pew Charitable Trust)
• How Dental Inequality Hurts Americans (New York Times)
  

 

Developed by Children’s Dental Health Project in partnership with the Child Care Health Program at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, this infographic is available in English, Spanish and Chinese to promote that dental care is both safe and important during pregnancy.  You can download the PDF versions of the infographic here.  

The United States Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of the Surgeon General, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, the U.S. Public Health Service’s Oral Health Coordinating Committee announced the commission of a Surgeon General’s Report presenting prominent issues affecting oral health.  Read the announcement here.