Today is the Great American Smokeout, a day when the American Cancer Society encourages smokers to develop a plan to quit. The health impacts of smoking affect more than smokers, and a new law could protect workers from secondhand smoke. The Kentucky legislature has been debating passage of a smoke-free indoor workplace bill for several years now. It is easy for such debates to become about ideology, but the kickoff last week for the effort to [...]

Tooth decay continues to rank as one of the most prevalent chronic childhood diseases, especially in the state of Kentucky.  The Institute for Rural Health at Western Kentucky University completed a cross-sectional study in 2013, focusing on two main objectives in the bluegrass state: to assess socio-demographic differences between children affected and unaffected by decay, and to investigate the factors associated with the lack of treatment of this chronic condition. The Institute for Rural Health [...]

The Kentucky Oral Health Coalition (KOHC), a project of Kentucky Youth Advocates, is proud to announce a new opportunity for communities to improve oral health among children and families. The Kentucky Oral Health Coalition is partnering with the UCLA Health Care Institute (HCI) and the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood to award Community Early Childhood Councils (CECC) mini-grants up to $1,000 to conduct oral health trainings for parents in their communities using an researched curriculum and [...]

With Halloween right around the corner, kids are picking out their favorite costumes, porches are decorated with jack-o-lanterns, and grocery stores are lined with sweet treats to celebrate. But, let’s not forget about the damage too much candy can have on our teeth. Halloween presents a great opportunity to remind your family about the importance of keeping up good oral hygiene, especially to prevent cavities. Walgreens has five tips to keep good oral health during [...]