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The oral health workforce has long struggled with racial, ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic diversity. According to a recent North Carolina

Natural disasters impact every aspect of our lives in obvious and unexpected ways—oral health is no exception. As the climate

Dentists, dental assistants, and dental hygienists work together as a team, making sure a dental office functions like a well-oiled

Thank you to all who joined us for Oral Health Day 2024! We're excited to share that we had our

“Our partners in this effort helped us form one of the most unlikely bipartisan, cross-industry coalitions ever assembled in North

Dental cavities and gum disease remain the two most common oral health conditions—and they are often preventable. Cavities are also

Medicaid Expansion finally took effect statewide on December 1st, 2023, thanks to over a decade of advocacy by countless organizations

As of January 2022, the U.S. Health Resource and Services Administration has partially or fully designated all 100 North Carolina

For years, Medicaid Expansion in North Carolina has been health advocates’ proverbial white whale. When it comes to policy changes

After four years as the director of NCOHC, Dr. Zachary Brian has taken the next step in his career. Dr.

A recent announcement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) signals a possible expansion of dental services available

As the monkeypox outbreak continues to spread, we sat down to explore what oral health connections exist, what is currently

She vividly remembers waking up with a swollen jaw, tooth pain that wouldn’t go away, and a sinking feeling as

It’s no secret that there is an oral health care access gap for North Carolinians with Medicaid insurance. It’s practically

A root canal is a dental procedure in which the soft center of the tooth, the pulp, is removed. The

On March 28, 2022, the Poor People’s Campaign held its first Moral Monday march in Raleigh since the COVID-19 pandemic

Dentists may be one step closer to administering HPV vaccines in pursuit of whole-person health. Earlier this year, the American

It is time to celebrate! National Dental Hygienist Week is the second week of April each year (April 4-10). During

Dental offices are team operations. Take away your dentist or hygienist and the work will grind to a halt. The

Sometimes, the best prevention is a layer of protection. Take a baking sheet out of the oven and you’ll probably

2021 was quite the year! Of course, we could write an entire book about the ways that COVID-19 continues to

On Nov. 18, Governor Roy Cooper signed the 2021 North Carolina state budget into law, the first budget the state

The connection between oral health and overall health is increasingly clear, but you wouldn’t know it looking at the federal

From pizza boxes to shampoo, and even some dental floss, PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are everywhere. These “forever chemicals” are

Dr. Rhonda Stephens, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health Oral Health Section’s Dental

Hannah Archer is an MPH student at UNC-Chapel Hill with a passion for public health dentistry. This summer, she worked

NCOHC hosted Oral Health Day 2021 on July 21st, featuring a speaker lineup with nationwide recognition, including a keynote address

We can acknowledge it. “Oral health policy advocacy” is not exactly something you hear every day, right? Imagine meeting new

Your furry friends need regular oral health care, just like you. Unfortunately, good information can be hard to find, care

In order to build a more equitable oral health care system for all North Carolinians, it is paramount to pursue

Last year, soon after the COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States, those of us at NCOHC were working to devise

We’d like to start off this blog post with a quote from the Terry Pratchett novel, “Men at Arms.” The

What does “access” really mean? The American Dental Association Health Policy Institute (HPI) released a report earlier this year analyzing

Haven’t had time to read the new HPI Report analyzing access for children and adults with Medicaid/CHIP insurance in North

In the early 1990s, cervical cancer was the most common cancer among women. Today, it has dropped to fourth place,

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it very clear that telemedicine is a necessary tool in most healthcare fields. Teledentistry in

A newborn’s growing teeth are crucial to their overall development as a child. Baby teeth are the foundation for a

When creating equitable health care systems, especially at a statewide level, policy plays an important role in driving sustainable, system-wide

What a year… Needless to say, 2020 has been a year for the history books. At NCOHC, we are so

The North Carolina Oral Health Collaborative (NCOHC) released its first policy brief earlier this year, outlining a broad array of

Dentists in North Carolina are uniquely positioned to begin administering some vaccinations, like those for the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and

The most important element of childhood development is overall health. With schools nationwide facing unprecedented challenges during the current pandemic,

From the highest peaks east of the Mississippi to the unique sounds of bluegrass music, Western North Carolina is a

At Kintegra Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) serving several counties west of Charlotte, care coordination is increasing access

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“Historic and systemic structural racism are inherent parts of the United States,” said Jen Zuckerman, director of strategic initiatives at

The Next Generation Dental Office is Here In the 21st century, modern dental practices have evolved to further place the

It’s one of the most common questions in public health and the source of significant confusion in matters of health

Value-based care is coming to North Carolina. While dentistry may not be included in the first wave, oral health care

As some states reopen, others pause reopening, and more consider shutting down again, figuring out what is and isn't safe

Janet Reaves was a tireless advocate for North Carolinians, working statewide to improve the health of those with chronic disease.

2020 marks the fifth anniversary of Oral Health Day. Our annual advocacy event, which usually takes place in person at

“This pandemic is a perfect storm,” said Dr. Lisa Tyndall, an integration specialist with the Center of Excellence for Integrated

Oral Health Day 2020 is going digital! At NCOHC’s Oral Health Day Webinar on April 29, we announced plans to

The North Carolina Oral Health Collaborative’s parent organization, the Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation, moved to remote work back

With youth-oriented advertising depicting e-cigarettes as not only a cigarette alternative, but a clean, fun, and popular choice to make,

Depending on how long it takes to effectively respond to COVID-19, NCOHC is planning to host its annual Oral Health

Last week, FHLI's North Carolina Oral Health Collaborative attended the UNC Adams School of Dentistry's Teledentistry Symposium, co-sponsored by the

Last week, FHLI's North Carolina Oral Health Collaborative travelled with North Carolina oral health leaders to Charleston, South Carolina, for

Recap: The Oral-Systemic Connection Parts one and two of our series, "Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body," focused on heart disease, diabetes,

Recap: What is the Oral-Systemic Connection? New research is revealing the intricate connections between the health of our mouths and

Your Mouth is Part of Your Body! It is easy to view oral health in a vacuum. We do see

At NCOHC and the Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation (FHLI), we are reflecting on 2019 and planning for 2020.

There aren’t many people who really enjoy going to the dentist. Who wants to have someone poking around in your

“The more questions I asked, the more interested I became,” said Devin Olden to his fellow public health students at