Tuesday National Organization Roundtable Topics (By Invitation Only)
Lauren Barone, MPH
Manager, Oral Health
American Academy of Pediatrics
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) focuses on reducing oral health disparities by educating pediatricians to provide preventive oral health services and advocating at the state and national levels for improved oral health services for children and better medical/dental integration. The AAP provides resources for pediatricians and other primary care providers through its web site (www.aap.org/oralhealth) that houses a number of practice tools, resources, and educational offerings. Behind the scenes, the AAP works to remove barriers that prevent primary care providers from participating in oral health such as payment and coding and spreads its work through its Chapter Oral Health Advocates (COHAS). COHAS are a group of pediatricians who train others and advocate for oral health at the local level. The AAP currently has two grant-funded initiatives, the Campaign for Dental Health, and a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to create an oral health communications toolkit targeted at low-income pregnant women and their families. The Campaign for Dental Health, an effort to preserve and support community water fluoridation, communicates with the public through its web site www.ilikemyteeth.org and various efforts to engage likely and unlikely partners in water fluoridation advocacy.