oral health

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Daily Gazette

ALBANY — Barriers to oral health care are markedly high in the Mohawk Valley, according to a statewide report.

A recently released study from the University at Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies found that nearly 90% of residents in the six-county region live in areas with wide dental service gaps.

It runs in stark contrast to the Hudson Valley, Finger Lakes, Capital Region and Long Island where care is significantly more prevalent. The overall statewide rate for high-need communities is 14% — nearly 73 points lower than the Mohawk Valley.

“There are a lot of moving parts here,” said CHWS Director Jean Moore. “What I would say to you is that, clearly, Mohawk Valley has issues, but one of the things that I really like about this work is that it breaks it down by service areas so that problems may be different in different parts of the Mohawk Valley.”

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Medical Xpress

Oral health plays a critical role in a person’s overall health and well-being, yet many New Yorkers face limited access to the oral health services they need. Identifying where these needs are most acute can help guide resource allocation to fill service gaps.

A new report, released by the Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS) at the University at Albany’s School of Public Health, indicates that improving access to  services in New York State requires a broader understanding of oral health needs and the challenges that underserved populations face. The study, conducted by CHWS, identified geographic areas throughout the state with the highest oral health needs.

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Dental Tribune

ALBANY, N.Y., US: Mental health support is now a great priority for many employers who wish to show their commitment to promoting well-being in the workplace. However, burn-out among healthcare staff continues to be a cause for concern and may lead to issues such as high employee turnover, absenteeism, depression and a greater likelihood of medical errors, thus threatening patient safety. Putting mental health in the spotlight, recent research examined the levels of burn-out experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic by oral health providers at non-profit dental facilities in the US serving low-income families or individuals. It also highlighted contributing factors and strategies used to increase workforce resilience.

The report, published by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center at the University at Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies, used data from the 2021 online survey by Health Choice Network that included information on clinicians working in 25 community health centres across the US. The survey gathered information on 588 respondents, including those working in primary care, oral health, and mental and behavioural health settings. Oral health clinicians totalled 33 dentists, 12 dental hygienists and 25 dental assistants.

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Becker’s Dental and DSO Review

Nearly four-fifths of oral health providers reported experiencing burnout, according to a report by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center at the University at Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies.

Of the oral health providers surveyed for the report, 79.3% reported burnout. Primary care providers and mental and behavioral health providers also reported high incidences of burnout, coming in at 80.1% and 76.2%, respectively.

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Dimensions of Dental Hygiene

A recent report by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center at the University at Albany Center for Health Workforce Studies in New York has shed light on the prevalence and effects of stress among oral health professionals working in nonprofit dental facilities serving disadvantaged populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic intensified burnout issues among healthcare professionals, including those in oral health, due to the risk of COVID-19 infection. The survey analyzed clinicians in 25 United States community health centers, revealing that 79.3% of oral health providers reported experiencing burnout, a rate comparable to primary care and mental/behavioral health clinicians.

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Medical Xpress

Burnout is a prevalent problem for the health workforce, associated with employee turnover, absenteeism and depression. Burnout has also been shown to increase risk of medical errors and raises concerns about patient safety.

The COVID-19 pandemic heightened issues of  for , especially those providing patient care. For the oral health  in particular, the chance of COVID-19 infection was considered high due to potential contact with respiratory aerosols and spatter during dental procedures.

A recent report by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center (OHWRC) at the University at Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS) in the School of Public Health explored the prevalence and effects of burnout and stress among the oral health workforce in safety-net dental organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers worked with the Health Choice Network to analyze its 2021 online survey of clinicians working in 25 community health centers across the U.S.

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Medical Xpress

During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a dramatic increase in the use of teledentistry—a strategy that improved access to oral health services despite full or partial closures of dental practices.

A recent report by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center (OHWRC) at the University at Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS) in the School of Public Health explored the use of teledentistry by safety-net organizations, which include Federally Qualified Heath Centers (FQHCs), to bridge access to care during the pandemic.

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Dentistry Today

During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a dramatic increase in the use of teledentistry, a strategy that improved access to oral health services despite full or partial closure of dental practices. Teledentistry was successfully utilized for triage, consultation, diagnosis, referral, follow-up, and health education, reducing the number of in-person visits.

A recent report by the Oral Health Workforce Research Center (OHWRC) at the University at Albany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS) explored the use of teledentistry by safety-net organizations which include Federally Qualified Heath Centers (FQHCs), to bridge access to care during the pandemic.

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Times Union

ALBANY — Last summer, the calls started coming into Saratoga Springs Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner’s district office.Woerner said she was curious about the sudden spike in constituents who said they couldn’t find dental care for themselves or family members.“There’s a decided lack of dentists whose practice will include Medicaid patients,” Woerner said. “For example, in my district, it is only the Saratoga Community Health Center, which is run by the hospital. They have one dentist and two hygienists and that’s it for the entire population.”

Across the state, soaring Medicaid rates are bringing into sharp focus the scarcity of dental care options for low- and middle-income people on public health insurance…

…At one safety-net provider in Minnesota, clinicians, administrators and patients overwhelmingly reported positive experiences with the dental therapy workforce, according to a study by Oral Health Workforce Research Center at the University at Albany’s School of Public Health.

A review of dental claims data revealed that by leaning on dental therapists, dentists were freed up to provide a higher level of service, wait times for care decreased and patients had more of their dental needs met per visit.

“It’s pretty obvious that it’s quite positive and you want to say to people, ‘Gee, what are you waiting for? ‘ ” research center director Jean Moore told the Times Union. “But the resistance from organized dentistry at times can be pretty daunting.”

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