Health Care Leaders Gather for Summit to Address Unmet Oral Health Needs
On July 21 and 22, 2015, health care leaders from Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), in partnership with the Mississippi Public Health Institute, the University of Florida College of Dentistry and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, convened at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Miss. for a summit titled "Learning and Leading: Options and Opportunities to Address Unmet Oral Health Needs." The program was conducted by MSM's Community Voices: Healthcare for the Underserved to raise awareness about the oral health crisis in the United States.
During the summit, Community Voices released the results of a three-state survey of over 2,000 participants. Results support that tooth decay is recognized as the most common childhood disease. The decline of uninsured children seeing a dentist from 31.5% to 25.2% in 2011, combined with the more than 16 million estimated low-income children on Medicaid not receiving routine medical care, shows there is a need to examine avenues to expand the dental workforce and provide oral care homes to underserved children.
Speakers at the event included Dr. Henrie M. Treadwell, founding director of Community Voices: Healthcare for the Underserved and MSM Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine research professor, Frank A. Catalanotto, DMD, University of Florida College of Dentistry Department of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Science professor, and Jeffery Parker, Sarrell Dental Center chairman of the board.
About Morehouse School of Medicine
Founded in 1975, Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) is among the nation's leading educators of primary care physicians, biomedical scientists and public health professionals. In 2011, MSM was recognized by Annals of Internal Medicine as the nation’s No. 1 medical school in fulfilling a social mission. MSM faculty and alumni are noted for excellence in teaching, research and public policy, as well as exceptional patient care. Morehouse School of Medicine is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award doctorate and master degrees. For more information, please visit www.msm.edu or follow @MSMedu on Twitter.