·         Oral Health:  The Maternal and Child Health Library at Georgetown University in collaboration with the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center released a new edition of the knowledge path about oral health for infants, children, adolescents and pregnant women.   Presented in time for National Children’s Dental Health Month in February, this electronic guide points to resources that analyze data, describe effective programs, and report on policy and research aimed at improving access to and the quality of oral health care.  The knowledge path can be used by health professionals, program administrators, educators, and policy-makers to learn more about oral health, for program development, and to locate training resources and information to answer specific questions. Separate sections present resources for schools and child care and Head Start programs as well as resources about dental caries, dental sealants, fluoride varnish, pregnancy, and special health care needs. A resource brief for families that accompanies the knowledge path is also available.

·         Toilet Training: The Washington Post reported on Jan. 30 that an Arlington, Va., public preschool “removed” a child in December, asking her parents not to bring her back until she learned not to have any more “accidents.”  The incident sparked a lively discussion in the pages of the newspaper over the appropriate age and timetable for toilet training children, the role of families and schools in teaching children self-control, and how lenient we should be as our children learn to live without diapers.

·         Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health Provides Snapshots and Trending Data:  The Data Resource Center provides snapshots of how health and system performance differ across children who have public and private insurance, using data from the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health.  The site also provides trending data that can compare outcomes and indicators across the 2001 and the 2005/2006 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs.  The Center website, www.childhealthdata.org, is a project of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative and is funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

·         New study suggests having an abortion does not increase the risk of mental health problems, but having a baby does:  In January, the New England Journal of Medicine published a new Danish study showing that postpartum depression is much more likely to trigger mental illness than terminating a pregnancy.  This is possibly due to hormonal changes, sleep deprivation, and other demands associated with having a baby, but absent for those opting for abortion.  The study further debunks the notion that terminating a pregnancy puts a woman’s mental health at risk.  For more details, see the news story on MSNBC.