Dental News - Wisdom Tooth Project links up across nation for older adults’ oral health

Dental Tribune USA

Thu. 17 July 2014

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NEW YORK, N.Y., USA: The Wisdom Tooth Project (WTP) of Oral Health America (OHA) focuses on the importance of oral health for older adults, providing needed oral health care, education and resources for older adults, caregivers and health professionals who work with older adults.

To expand the reach of the program and continue the conversation about the crisis facing older adults’ oral health, the WTP has been connecting with organizations across the country, both to educate them about the WTP’s mission and to support those organizations’ work with older adults.

In April, program managers Dora Fisher and Tina Montgomery attended the National Oral Health Conference, where they both led a discussion about oral health across the lifespan and educated attendees about the WTP. In addition, Fisher did a poster presentation on the research that went into the “A State of Decay” report that evaluates each state on standards that affect oral health care access by older adults. The conference enabled OHA to connect with organizations addressing access-to-care challenges across the country.

One of the many organizations that has partnered with the WTP is the San Antonio (Texas] Christian Dental Clinic (SACDC), which has been providing free dental care to low-income and homeless adults in Bexar County since 1986. The clinic started with one dental chair and three volunteer dentists and has grown to more than 100 volunteer dentists and hygienists who in 2013 cared for 2,300 patients across 7,900 dental visits.

With more than 41 percent of Bexar County adults not having seen a dentist in the past year, the SACDC serves a great need in the community. That’s why the WTP recently partnered with it to reach even more vulnerable adults. The clinic hosted a day of free care through Aspen Dental’s MouthMobile, through which 35 adults received needed oral health care.

Toothwisdom.org, which the WTP launched last year as a first-of-its-kind website, features expert articles about oral health and aging as well as access to local resources for older adults and caregivers so they can find the oral health care they need. The site also spotlights best practices from organizations such as SACDC.

To learn more about the WTP and all of the many other OHA programs, you can visit www.oralhealthamerica.org.

(Source: Oral Health America)

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