Oral Health Initiatives
Tooth decay is one of the most common chronic conditions of childhood in the United States, and nearly one-third of all U.S. adults have tooth decay. Poor oral health can have severe implications on overall health, but the good news is that tooth decay is largely preventable.
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With their frequent access to patients, pharmacists are well-positioned to play a key role in promoting oral health awareness. Since 2010, the APhA Foundation has been exploring ways in which pharmacists can help dentists and other healthcare professionals improve the oral health awareness of Americans of all ages. In 2015, the APhA Foundation launched a partnership with America's Tooth Fairy to promote oral health and preventable measures to reduce tooth decay among children.
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Below is information about oral health as a public health issue and information on how the APhA Foundation is working to impact this issue through pharmacists’ patient care services.
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About the Issue
Oral health is closely tied with overall health, and understanding their connection is key to living healthy. Problems in your mouth can affect your overall body and can also be significant indicators of general health problems. That's why poor oral health is such an important issue.
Poor oral health is a condition that affects both children and adults. Tooth decay (cavities) is one of the most common chronic conditions of childhood in the United States with 1 in 5 children aged 5 to 11 years old having one untreated decayed tooth. Untreated tooth decay can cause pain and infections that may lead to problems with eating, speaking, playing, and learning.
Oral health complications are also prevalent in older adults:
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In the United States, nearly one-third of all adults have untreated tooth decay.
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One in seven adults aged 35 to 44 years has gum disease, and that statistic increases to one in every four adults aged 65 years and older.
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Nearly a quarter of all adults have experienced some facial pain in the past six months.
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Oral cancers are most common in older adults, particularly those over 55 years who smoke and are heavy drinkers.
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About 25 percent of adults 60 years old and older no longer have any natural teeth.
Despite these statistics, tooth decay is largely preventable. Healthy People 2020, a collaborative effort under the leadership of the Federal Interagency Workgroup (FIW), identifies oral health as one of the most significant preventable threats to health in this first decade of the 21st century and establishes national goals to reduce these threats. The CDC's National Call to Action to Promote Oral Health includes recommendations on addressing oral health needs including education on the link between oral health and general health, community-based oral health promotion and intervention programs, applied research demonstration projects, enhancement of the oral health work force, and collaboration across all aspects of society.
Our Work on Oral Health
The APhA Foundation has a history of creating innovation in pharmacy practice. Recognizing that pharmacists are one of the most accessible healthcare professionals, the Foundation began exploring how pharmacists might engage in interdisciplinary efforts to promote oral health.Since 2010, the Foundation has been connecting with stakeholders and participating in events including the New Mexico Oral Health Advisory Council, the American Academy of Pediatrics Oral Health Steering Committee, the DentaQuest Foundation, National Inter-professional Initiative on Oral Health, Oral Health Physician
Assistants Leadership Summit, US National Oral Health Alliance - Leadership Colloquia, and the American Dental Association (ADA) Prevention Summit, to further pursue opportunities in the oral health space.
The Foundation also has created a framework for the inter-disciplinary engagement of pharmacists in prevention efforts. This principle-centered approach focuses on prevention, partnership, quality, documentation and empowerment. Pharmacists should protect their patients' health by being early childhood caries (ECC) prevention advocates and should adopt one of three levels of involvement in ECC prevention advocacy:
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Be an educator (motivating people to maintain good oral health);
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Be a facilitator (hosting others who provide oral health services);
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Be a preventor (protecting vulnerable people, consistent with state law).
Pharmacists should focus their oral health efforts on diseases that are the most significant sources of preventable morbidity among the American people, such as early childhood caries prevention. In addition, pharmacists should routinely determine the oral health status of patients, then refer patients to another appropriate dental provider for treatment and care.