The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released a report that compared parent-reported children’s oral health status and receipt of preventive dental visits across the United States between 2003 and 2011/2012. It was interesting to look at this report and see what improvements have been made, where we have room for growth, and where Kentucky ranks. The report includes the following national results: In 2003, 67.7 percent of parents reported that their children had [...]

The term “young invincible” has been in the news a lot recently. What is a “young invincible”? A “young invincible” is a person between the ages of 19 and 34. This age group is particularly important in the context of health insurance. As insurance marketplaces, either state or federally-run, are getting up and running throughout the country, a distribution of all age groups is important for these marketplaces to succeed. The young invincibles are especially [...]

The last eight months have been eventful for the Kentucky Oral Health Coalition, which is a project of Kentucky Youth Advocates. In May we received the Oral Health 2014 DentaQuest planning grant and began the groundwork for developing a statewide oral health literacy campaign by conducting focus groups across the state, collecting information from oral health providers, and holding four stakeholder meetings. We traveled around the state and visited with parents in Campbell, Graves, Hopkins, [...]

Smoke-Free Kentucky supporters are heading to the State Capitol to educate legislators about smoke-free policies. WHEN: Wednesday, February 12th, 2014, 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. WHERE: Kentucky State Capitol, Annex Room 111 REGISTER HERE: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1W9Zw-AxrE1OSCIe5QR_zQQ70HtAKJgb7WtvT_d9Y82s/viewform

Children who have experienced abuse and neglect often face physical and emotional health problems that stay with them for years. These children need access to consistent and ongoing health care to recover from abuse, including access to health coverage and access to doctors, counselors, or other health professionals when they are in need of care. Recent changes in the health care system in Kentucky will allow all young people to stay on their parent’s health [...]

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and each year every magazine and morning talk show gives advice on what foods you should and should not eat to avoid packing on the pounds. One realm of health that is equally as important but often overlooked is oral health. Thanksgiving is about spending time with friends and family but for many, the real focus is on the food. It’s the one day where people feel like they have a [...]