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2010 Focus Group #1: Oral Health in Healthcare Reform

February 25-26, 2010 - Washington, D.C.

As part of this year's collaborative research on Oral Health in Healthcare Reform, we hosted our first 2010 focus group with leaders in dentistry and dental policy to explore key concerns in improving access and care for underserved populations such as seniors and diabetics with periodontal disease.

Discussion topics:

Motivating and training a workforce for geriatric dentistry to improve oral health for older adults.
Delivering integrated, team-centered care to better serve the elderly and people with special needs.
Special considerations for dental professionals in managing patients with diabetes.
Supporting at-risk patients with personalized dental benefits.

Panel of Experts

Led by IOH Director, Mary Ellen Young, RDH, MHA, the group featured presentations and discussion with the following experts:

Douglas Berkey, DMD, MPH, MS - Professor, University of Colorado Denver School of Dental Medicine; Dental Director, Total Longterm Care of Colorado
Joseph Errante, DDS - Vice President, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Michael Helgeson, DDS - Co-Founder and CEO of Apple Tree Dental, Minnesota
Maria Ryan, DDS, PhD - Director of Clinical Research, Professor, School of Dental Medicine, State University of New York at Stony Brook

Special guests included Meg Booth from CDHP and Dr. Martha Somerman, Dean of Dentistry at the University of Washington and IOH Advisory Board.

Click here to download the whitepaper



	Related IOH Events 2010 IOH Conference - Oct 28-29, 2010 FireSky Resort & Spa - Scottsdale, AZ LEARN MORE & REGISTER ONLINE >> 2010 Focus Groups Group #1: FEB in Wash, DC \| WHITEPAPER Group #2: APR in St. Louis \| WHITEPAPER



	"When people lose their teeth, it affects how they look and how they feel about themselves. It doesn’t make sense to put people through that for a few bucks. Helping people save their teeth is also helping them protect their health." –Minnesota Dental Association (video)



	"Our current system doesn’t really align with our professional duty — so we need to use our mind and our skills and our team to do what’s best for the patient." –Dr. Michael Helgeson CEO, Apple Tree Dental



	"Because of trends in costs and consumer needs, I think we’re going to see more benefits innovation in the next 5 years than we’ve seen in the last 50 years –including life-stage market segmentation." –Dr. Joseph Errante Delta Dental of MA