Welcome to the New York State Oral Health Coalition Website

Save the Date!!

Next Annual Meeting will be held

Friday, November 5, 2010 in Syracuse, NY

“Future of Oral Health/Coalition Building

Details to follow

The New York State Oral Health Coalition Responds to

New National Report on Dental Services for Children

ALBANY, NY (February 24, 2010) - A new report released on February 23, 2010 from the PEW Center on the States, gave New York State a “C” in the approach it is taking to improve the dental health of children and their access to care.  The Cost of Delay, State Dental Policies Fail One in Five Children, ranks states on eight benchmarks in the areas of prevention, public insurance, and workforce and data analysis.

“At a time when the number of young children with cavities is actually increasing, New York must do more.  Being in the middle of the state rankings is not good enough for our children.” said Bridget Walsh, Chair of the New York State Oral Health Coalition. 

New York State is well positioned to improve children’s dental health.  The State has a well-regarded Dental Bureau at the NYS Department of Health, the population of dental practitioners is above the national average, we were among the first to fluoridate public water supplies and implement school-based prevention programs, and our Medicaid and Child Health Plus programs provide dental coverage.  While the percentage of children seen for dental care remains too low, the state has made progress over the last few years and further increases can be expected due to recent changes in Medicaid policies allowing reimbursement for fluoride varnish application.

NYSOHC is ready to work with the state to improve what we do for children, including:

·        Expanding community water fluoridation.

·        Expanding fluoride varnish and dental sealant programs.

·        Creating regional oral health networks to develop local solutions to access problems.

·        Recruiting dentists to provide services to Head Start programs.

·        Improving the numbers and types of providers of oral health services.

·        Creating better methods of tracking and evaluating programs.

Included in this packet is New York’s sheet from the report. For information specific to the local situation, please contact:                                                                                                

For additional information on the coalition please contact:

Ron Salyk, D.D.S., Vice Chair, NYSOHC at 718-716-4400 x2126

or  Mary Ellen Yankosky, R.D.H., Steering Committee, NYSOHC at

617-997-1551Significant barriers to maximizing these strengths remain. New York’s dental workforce is poorly distributed; it is difficult to recruit dentists into public insurance and several large communities, including Albany, chose not to fluoridate their water.  New York City, Erie County and several large health departments have closed dental clinics, and there is no local public health infrastructure to address the oral health problems.  Finally, all the public health programs that support children’s dental care are sustained solely by federal funds. 

The Cost of Delay, State Dental Policies Fail One in Five Children, is significant in that it clearly outlines what is at stake when children suffer from dental disease. 

·        Early growth and development is impeded, especially in the areas of nutrition and speech.

·        They miss school and their academic performance suffers because of the pain of disease.

·        Their health, even as they become adults, is compromised from complications of dental infections.

The report also highlights the cost of untreated disease.  Approximately 4000 children ages three and five are treated in New York’s hospitals every year for dental disease the estimated cost of treating a Medicaid dental case in the OR is an average of $4,000.

Click here to view entire PEW Report.

provements