The challenges of resolving the oral health disparities among children and other vulnerable populations requires a well-organized community safety net, along with a sincere commitment to prioritize the elimination of this common, but preventable, dental disease. Adequate funding for basic health needs, while incorporating oral health care into a…

In his February 2009 address to Congress, President Obama called attention to the problems of higher education and promised a policy agenda to restore the U.S. to its leadership role in student access and completion rates. However, a depressed economy, stagnant or falling state funding for public higher education, and public resistance to rising…

"Kids Count in Colorado!" is an annual publication of the Colorado Children's Campaign, which provides the best available state- and county-level data to measure and track the education, health and general well-being of the state's children. "Kids Count in Colorado!" informs policy debates and community discussions, serving as…

As part of a series of reports designed to support the implementation of Proposition 10: The California Children and Families Act and to provide comprehensive and authoritative information on critical issues concerning young children and families in California, this report describes the scope and severity of early childhood caries (ECC), a…

People with ID represent approximately 2% of the population and, as a group, experience poorer health than the general population. This article presents recent conceptualizations that begin to disentangle health from disability, summarizes the literature from 1999 to 2005 in terms of the cascade of disparities, reviews intervention issues and…

Public opinion polls consistently show a strong, bi-partisan consensus on the need to invest in the nation's kids. Yet even as Americans demand a greater focus on children, public investments are shifting away from them. In California, this is leading to children who are increasingly unhealthy yet lack health insurance, failing in school or unable…

Current challenges in women's health in the United States are examined, and Public Health Service initiatives to address them are discussed. Regarding women's oral health, special attention in two areas is advised: (1) recruitment, retention, and career development of women in dental research and education; and (2) research on women's dental…

This report of the Select Committee on California Children's School Readiness and Health, established in 2001, examines the relationship between the status of a child's health and its impact on school readiness and achievement. The report is intended to promote and facilitate continued dialogue, exploration, and research on student health and…

A dental educator offers suggestions for the future role of dental schools and of dental education programs in greater recognition of the importance of women's oral health. Specific interventions addressing current and future health care needs are outlined. Curriculum, accreditation, legislation, and information dissemination are considered. (MSE)

This study examined the status of dental education and oral health in the U.S.; considered future scientific, demographic, economic, organizational, and other developments that may affect oral health status and the system for educating dentists and other dental personnel; developed a statement of how, over the next 25 years, oral health and oral…

It is apparent that some children in the United States have not benefited from the improved oral health care available. These children tend to be poor and members of racial and ethnic minority groups. Policy recommendations are made to increase both self-care and access to dental care. (SLD)