Community Water Fluoridation Portland Reversal Fizzles
A recent effort by anti-fluoride activists to take fluoride out of the Portland Water District failed to submit the signatures that would require effected municipalities to put the measure out to vote again. While this is very good news for public health, it is a reminder of the need for oral health advocates to create and disseminate effective messages about the benefits of fluoridation. Maine has made significant progress in community water fluoridation, but those gains must be protected, along with efforts to reach additional communities on the benefits of water fluoridation. Community water fluoridation is recognized as one of the 10 most important public health achievements of the 20th century! |
Healthy Communities of the Capitol Area Joins MDAC First HMP to join.
Healthy Communities of the Capital Area (HCCA) is one of Maine's 28 Healthy Maine Partnerships as well as a coalition of local people working locally to improve the health and quality of life in their communities. They serve nineteen communities in southern Kennebec County. HCCA recognizes the need for better access to oral health services in their communities and recognizes that MDAC membership will help them increase community understanding of the importance of oral health, as well as provide help in tapping into local services. Go to www.healthycommunitesme.org for more about HCCA. |
Keeping up with National Health Reform and Oral Health.
The Children's Dental Health Project has a newly designed web site and a new e-newsletter, both of which are excellent ways to keep abreast of what's happening in Washington on health care reform as it relates to oral health. You can sign up for the e-news from their web site at http://www.cdhp.org/.
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Upcoming Conferences
The 4th Annual NE Rural Oral Health Conference, "Improving Rural Oral Health Through Innovative Programs" will be held on September 11, 2009 at the Sheraton Harborside, Portsmouth, NH from 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. For a conference brochure and registration form go here. New England Regional Minority Health Conference, From Disparities to Equity, the Power to Make Change will be held on October 14, 15 & 16, 2009 at Westin Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island. This will be a dynamic forum to develop strategies to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities. Over 600 health professionals, community health workers, nurses, physicians, legislators, academicians, employers, community based organizations and health care consumers from across the region and around the country are expected to attend. For more information, and to register, go to http://www.nermhc.com/ |
| New Research
A possible link between obesity and oral bacterial infection has been discovered by scientists at The Forsyth Institute. In a recent study, the researchers demonstrated that the salivary bacterial composition of overweight women differs from non-overweight women. This preliminary work may provide clues to interactions between oral bacteria and the pathology of obesity. This research may help investigators learn new avenues for fighting the obesity epidemic. This work will be published in the Journal of Dental Research. |
| The mission of the Maine Dental Access Coalition is to advocate for and improve access to quality preventative and comprehensive oral health care for all Maine people. |
July 2009
