Hello again from your Section Chair.
 
It’s a busy time of year preparing for the Annual Meeting, reviewing proposed policies, and promoting our recently passed new policies. There is much going on at the national and state levels in public health, and I encourage you to stay active in APHA and the Oral Health Section. Be sure to keep your e-mail up to date in your membership file; you can edit this information by logging on to the APHA Web site as a member.

Annual Meeting: I hope you are planning to attend our next Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Nov. 7-11, 2009. David Cappelli is heading up the Program Planning Committee, and the program (see below)  is shaping up to be quite interesting and informative. Thanks to all who have helped David pull the scientific program together. Registration online at the APHA Web site opens June 1, so make plans now to join us in Philadelphia!

Elections: Elections for Section Officers is open until June 20. You should have received an e-mail announcement on May 15 about how to cast your vote. We have a wonderful slate of candidates this year. For two Section Council seats our candidates are: Kathryn Dolan, Kathy Lituri, Gary Podshun, and Gina Thorton-Evans. For one Governing Council seat our candidates are: Woosung Sohn and Karen Zinner. Please review their statements online and make your voice heard by voting.

e-Communities: We are close to having e-Communities, a new on-line resource, available for Oral health Section members in the near future. It will allow for improved sharing of information and documents, as well as providing a listserv and bulletin board.
 
Healthy People 2020: The Oral Health Section continues to participate in the development of Healthy People 2020 objectives. Besides testifying at the Regional Hearings last year, we are part of a workgroup that includes ASTDD, AAPHD, ADA, and other partners. The workgroup developed positions on draft objectives at a meeting held March 3-4. The Oral Health Section was ably represented by Dushanka Kleinman. There will be additional opportunities to comment both as a Section and as individuals as this process moves forward.

Policy promotion: The Section leadership has been active in promoting some of APHA’s policies related to oral health. We worked with Dr. Georges Benjamin to send letters about the policy opposing prophylactic removal of third molars to America’s Health Insurance Plans, the National Association of Dental Plans, the Delta Dental Plans Association, and the National Association of State Medicaid Directors. The letters were cosigned by Dr. Benjamin and myself. Additional letters have been sent to selected health reporters and dental associations.

In working to promote APHA’s policy on dental therapists, the Oral Health Section assisted Amos Deinard, chair of the Oral Health Section Policy Committee, in writing to about 30 members of the Minnesota State Senate concerning legislation to authorize training of mid-level dental practitioners ― dental therapists or Oral Health Practitioners.  The letters supported the evidence-based position that a two-year training program for therapists would be sufficient and that such training does not have to be based in a dental school.  Minnesota has since passed new legislation that allows for a four-year baccalaureate program to train dental therapists (DT). The DT could perform some services under general supervision, but cavity preparation and restoration of primary and permanent teeth, and extraction of primary teeth, would be done under indirect supervision. It also establishes a two-year master's program for advanced dental therapists that would allow for these services to be performed under general supervision (dentist need not be present). To qualify for the advanced dental therapist certification, one must have a DT degree, have practiced as a DT at least 2,000 hours, and complete an advanced dental therapy master's program. It is our understanding that dental hygienists will be eligible for the two-year master's degree advanced dental therapist program being developed at the Metropolitan State University in St. Paul Minnesota. The baccalaureate and master's program is also being developed at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. While we applaud progress in this area, which should expand access to care for the under-served, we continue to believe that the approach adopted is overly cautious.

We will continue to promote evidence-based policies in the arena of oral health. A special thanks to Amos Dienard, Jay Friedman, Kathy Lituri, Myron Allukian, and others who helped with these efforts.

Welcome to those of you new to the Oral health Section. We encourage your involvement in Section activities, whether on a committee or by running for an office. And for those who have already served in a leadership capacity, give some thought to getting involved again. We need you on the Membership and Policy Committees, to help staff the Section booth at the Annual Meeting, to contribute to the newsletter, and to help manage our Web site. We depend on Section volunteers to carry on the bulk of the Section’s business. Feel free to contact me or any member of the Section leadership.
 
Looking forward to seeing you in Philadelphia.

Scott Presson, Chair