W elcome to the KDHE OOH first newsletter!

Since the
release of the State Oral Health Plan last year, our
Office has been busy developing new oral health pro-
jects and working with wonderful people all across Kansas. This
newsletter will update everyone on the current status of our pro-
grams and showcase some of the great community partners that
have contributed their time and talents to help us improve the oral
health status of all Kansans. Thanks to everyone who supports our
Oral health news
efforts, and let us know if you have news to share in future newslet-
ters!
Kathy Weno, Director of the Office of Oral Health
Dawn McGlasson, Deputy Director
Caron Shipley, School Screening Coordinator
O f f i c e o f o r a l h e a lt h — k d h e

Maggie Smet, Professional Outreach Coordinator

Mary Ann Percy, Professional Outreach Coordinator
Ashley McMahan, Administrative Assistant
Visit our website: http://www.kdheks.gov/ohi/index.html

OOH STATE SCREENING PROJECT:

WHO ARE THESE SCREENERS & WHY ARE THEY SO
SPECIAL?....BECAUSE THEY ARE!
Written by Caron Shipley, RDH, BSDH use trained volunteer dental professionals to
School Screening Coordinator screen children using a standardized protocol.
Caron is testing this program in six pilot areas
Kansas has a State Statute (72-5201), that (Wichita, Garden City, NW Kansas, Junction
requires school districts to provide their City, Pittsburg and Lawrence) across Kansas
students with free annual dental screenings. in the 2008-9 school year.
Although this statute has been on the books
These screeners are true champions,
since 1915, it doesn’t provide money for
donating their time and talents to help the
screenings and schools have a difficult time
children and schools in their communities.
accomplishing this mission. Some
Once these children have been screened, the
communities have developed their own
screening data collected will be sent to the
personal screening programs, but there has
Office of Oral Health and posted on the OOH
not been a statewide screening program for
website. School level data can assist local
over a decade. This is a shame as dental
oral health advocates develop oral health
decay is very common in school children. In a
prevention programs and allow them to
recent KDHE survey, 64% of Kansas third
monitor their school children’s oral health
graders had dental decay. To assist schools
status. These screenings do not replace a
with oral health screenings, Office of Oral
trip to the dentist and all children screened
Health School Coordinator, Caron Shipley
will be given the recommendation to see a
RDH, BS with support from the Kansas
dental professional on regular six month
Health Foundation and Delta Dental
intervals for preventive services along with a
Foundation is developing a comprehensive
thorough examination from a dentist.
oral health screening program. Schools will

We would like to recognize these dental screening volunteers and thank them for providing such a
wonderful benefit to their community, and to all of Kansas! Please go to page 3 to see a complete
listing of our screeners.

Lisa House, RDH, demonstrates
to home visitors at Meade
County how to assist mothers in
checking their children’s teeth.
Lisa is assisted by Grant
County’s Healthy Start Home
Visitor, Katie Metcalf and her
son, Neal
Office of oral
health — kdhe
Curtis State Office Building
1000 SW Jackson
Suite 300
Topeka, Kansas 66612
Tel: 785-296-5116
Fax: 785-291-3959
www.kdheks.gov/ohi
PERINATAL DEPRESSION AND HEALTHY SMILES
TRAINING FOR HEALTHY START HOME VISITORS
Written By Brenda Nickel,
Child Health Consultant
The fall regional Healthy Start Home
Visitor training concluded August 15
in Clay Center. This training, a
requirement of the Maternal and
Child Health block grant for outreach
and family support services in local
health departments, provided
additional resources to expand the
repertoire of the paraprofessional
and professional staff visiting
mothers prenatally and after delivery.
This year’s training included Healthy
Smiles training, sponsored by the
Office of Oral Health (OOH) at the
Kansas Department of Health and
PROJECT READY SMILE… GIVING YOUNG
CHILDREN SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT!
Written By MaryAnn Percy, RDH, BSDH
Professional Outreach Coordinator
The REACH Healthcare Foundation and
the Health Care Foundation of Greater
Kansas City have united to launch a three-
year initiative to improve the oral health of
children from birth to six years of age. The
goal is to help children enter kindergarten
with healthy teeth and mouths and ready
to learn.
The project is working with early education
centers and Head Start programs in the
Foundations’ shared service area, which
encompasses Cass, Jackson, and
Lafayette counties in Missouri, and Allen,
Johnson, and Wyandotte counties in
Kansas. The initiative has started with 20
centers and approximately 1,000 children,
with plans to add more. Three Project
Ready Smile dental hygienists rotate
through the early education programs to
conduct oral screenings, apply fluoride
varnish, and connect children with dental
providers. Treatment is provided at no cost
to the participating families.
In addition to these services, the Project
Ready Smile hygienists conduct
classroom education sessions and carry
out fun projects covering various oral
health topics. Education on oral health
Environment and Oral Health
Kansas. Professional Outreach
Coordinators, Maggie Smet, RDH
and Lisa House, RDH, traveled to the
six regional sites to assist in
expanding knowledge of the
importance of oral health for healthy
pregnancies and for establishing
healthy habits in their babies and
children. The two dental hygienists
were joined by their colleagues,
Dawn McGlasson, Deputy Director,
OOH and Caron Shipley, School Oral
Health Coordinator, at training in
Wyandotte, Rooks, and Labette
counties.
habits is presented to parents as well as
lessons for the early education program
staff. A bulletin board is posted at each
center, which provides an opportunity to
display a picture of the hygienist, for quick
recognition, and monthly oral health tips.
Oral screenings are conducted at each
center and are performed on every
enrolled child twice a year. Each child is
provided with a toothbrush, toothpaste,
stickers, and a “report card” to take home.
Toothbrushes and toothpaste are also
provided for children to keep at the center
if needed.
Along with improving the oral health of
young children, the project also works to
increase the number of dentists willing to
treat low-income children. Dentists have
been recruited in the project’s six-county
service area to provide services to children
who need them. Dental services are
reimbursed at the standard Medicaid
rates.
As a new school year gets underway, the
Project Ready Smile dental hygienists
anticipate enrolling even more children this
year. The success of the project will be
children receiving regular preventive care
and entering kindergarten with healthy
teeth and mouths.
 GRACEMED PROVIDES CARE FOR
CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
Written By Dave Sanford
Executive Director, GraceMed
Beginning September 1, 2007, GraceMed
partnered with the State of Kansas Office
of Oral Health through a HRSA grant to
provide dental services for special needs
children. After an initial few months of
developing collaborative partnerships with
referral agencies and contracting with an
anesthesia service, the provision of direct
services was initiated in January of 2008.
Two days per month, GraceMed
schedules special needs children for care
at our main clinic. Dr, Roger Nolte, DDS,
with the assistance of parents, support
staff and a CRNA, provides care for
children who need sedation and would not
be able to accept care without this service.
Each day of service, we schedule between
four and six appointments, depending on
the severity of each case and the
proposed treatment plan. The goal, of
course, is to provide as much care as
possible and clinically practical during
each sedation session.
The response from parents and caregivers
has been overwhelming. The children we
GraceMed staff during a
see, for the most part, are uninsured and special needs clinic day.
have few, if any, options to access quality
dental care. It is a very emotional
experience for a parent to observe their
special needs child receiving services from
a team of caring, compassionate
professionals. At the end of most cases,
there isn't a dry eye in the house!
This HRSA grant is now in it's second of
four years. GraceMed and our dental
Save the date
professionals are blessed to participate in
this project. We look forward to reaching October 1st - 3rd
all the outcomes for a successful grant
and will work to insure this service is Kansas State Nurses Associa-
sustainable when the grant term expires. tion Annual Convention
Wichita Airport Hilton
Wichita, Kansas

November 6th - 7th

OOH STATE SCREENERS
Oral Health Kansas 5th
Annual Conference
Amy Planker RDH Dr. Gary Blaich Lisa House RDH Doubletree Hotel
Angela Ayers Riner RDH Dr. Jarrod Jones Lori Applehans RDH Overland Park, Kansas
Angela Black RDH Dr. Jeffrey Lowe Marie Youvan RDH
Angie Larson RDH Dr. Melinda Miner Mary Ann Percy RDH
Anna Blackwood RDH Dr. Paul Jones Mary Ellen Caldwell RDH
Azarel Molina RDH Dr. Rob Herron Mary Epler RDH
Becky Walden RDH Dr. Walker Megan Wilson RDH
BJ Walters RDH Gail Kennedy D.A Michelle Pester RDH
Bobette Maier RDH Ginny Clark RDH Michelle Ritzman RDH
Calee Courter RDH Haley Dalton Nicole Goldston RDH
Christy Hillard RDH Heather Sadowski RDH Pam Younger RDH
Colby County Community College Holly R. Blick RDH Patti Taylor RDH
Cristy Park RDH Jackie Larson D.A Paula Fowles D.A.
Cruzie Corpus Jayci Chaney RDH Rebecca Vollertsen RDH
Debbie Daniels RDH Julia Thornburg RDH Rebecca Wright RDH
Deborah Damitio RDH Karen Hughes RDH Rosalie Gaulier-Nguyen RDH Office of oral
Donna Houser RDH Kim Andrews RDH Sherry Martin RDH health — kdhe
Doreen Eyler RDH Kimberly Fowler RDH Stephanie Beshore RDH
Curtis State Office Building
Dorie Edge D.A Kristin Unruh RDH Susan Stitch RDH
1000 SW Jackson
Dr. Bill McKee Laurie Marienau RDH Tammi Engel Suite 300
Dr. Cindi Sherwood Leah Hill RDH Tara Kaus Topeka, Kansas 66612
Dr. Daniel Miner Leigh Edmonds RDH Tara Small RDH
Tel: 785-296-5116
Dr. Eric Blackwood Lisa Giphens RDH Valla Rolls RDH Fax: 785-291-3959
www.kdheks.gov/ohi