2. Family Voices of California Health Summit February 27, 2017

3. California Dental Association Gayle Mathe

4. Oral Health is Essential
Mouth is the gateway to the body
Essential to overall health
Untreated disease can lead to significant health problems
Good news: prevention works!
Can detect signs of numerous health conditions in the mouth, such as diabetes and immunocompromised conditions
Chronic inflammation associated with untreated disease has impacts throughout the body. Body cannot be healthy if there is untreated oral disease.
Regular daily care and regular visits to maintain the hard and soft tissues in the mouth is very effective at preventing and reducing disease severity.

5. Barriers to Care Medical or physical conditions Behavior management
Benefit coverage
Provider training
Uncertainty about future healthcare funding
It is understood by many in this room that accessing dental care for people with special needs is not routine – it involves finding the right provider and the right setting to address patient needs. As many of you know from personal experience, as you search for care for your family member or loved one, his/her medical condition, ability to tolerate dental treatment/possible need for sedation to do so, the payer source – whether private or perhaps a government payer - and the skills of the provider all impact how easy or difficult your search for care may be.
My last bullet is probably the one that causes the most concern for everyone because of the unknown. Please know that CDA’s advocacy and that of many other health organizations is doing all we can to protect benefits.

6. Assets Regional centers Care coordination services RDHAPs
Historically, there have been people and services that have been helpful for connecting people with special needs to dental care – and they remain important in the overall picture for overcoming common barriers to care
Briefly describe the role of each

7. Opportunities New state dental director; state oral health plan
Proposition 56 funds
LDPP testing care coordination services
Virtual Dental Homes
Silver Ion Products