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ABOUT THE CATALYST INSTITUTE
catalyst: \’ka-te-lest\ [n]: an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action. (Merriam Webster)
The Catalyst Institute is a non-profit organization supporting individuals and institutions that rely on data to make decisions that promote quality oral health care and improvements in oral health. We work closely with dental health practitioners, funders, public and private benefit providers, and policy makers to transform oral health.
Learn more at www.catalystinstitute.org
The Catalyst Institute is engaged in the following demonstration initiatives and research projects focused on improving access to, and quality of, oral health care:
Safety Net Solutions (SNS) partners with community health centers (CHC) to sustain and build community-based oral health programs that are effective and financially viable.
The Oral Health Center (OHC) is an
innovative dental practice and a leader in evidence-based dentistry. The site is home to several national research studies and one clinical trial that test the impact of new prevention and treatment models.
Improving Care for Young Children with Oral Disease
Stronger Public Policy For Oral Health of Massachusetts Children
Better Oral Health for Massachusetts
Expanding Access to Oral Health Care: Catalyst Institute Safety Net Solutions program goes national
Board Member Profile: Marion Kane
Improving Care for Young Children with Oral Disease
Building New Knowledge in Oral Health
Pediatric dentistry programs in hospital dental departments provide nationwide care for a disproportionate number of young children with early childhood caries. It is not uncommon for some children to wait for several months for extensive dental repair in the operating room. As they await restorative care, many of these children experience such significant pain and dysfunction that they are “leapfrogged” to the head of the line for surgery. Even after the “definitive” dental repair is provided, frequently under sedation or general anesthesia, many children experience unacceptably high rates of cavity recurrence (23–57% within 6–24 months). Recurrence is attributed to the failure of traditional dental repair to mitigate the underlying caries process.
In response, the Catalyst Institute has launched the Early Childhood Caries Project in conjunction with Children’s Hospital in Boston and Saint Joseph Hospital in Providence to demonstrate that an alternative science-based approach to managing young children’s caries in hospital settings can improve quality of care. Leading the effort are Dr. Man Wai Ng, Chief, Department of Dentistry, Children’s Hospital Boston; Dr. Dan Kane, Director of Dentistry, Saint Joseph Hospital, Providence; and Dr. B. Alex White, Director of Analytics for the Catalyst Institute.
The goal of the program is to reduce the percentage of patients with new cavities, reduce the percentage of patients treated in the operating room, and reduce the percentage of patients complaining of pain on their most recent visit.
The Catalyst Institute hopes that this project will lead to major reform in how dentists clinically manage young children suffering from early childhood caries and its associated costs and consequences. Reducing the number of caries is expected to lower the frequency of patients being treated surgically and demonstrate cost savings, thus providing a sustainable business model for the program.
Patient enrollment began in March 2008. Complete findings are scheduled to be released in Fall 2009.
DID YOU KNOW?
- Early Childhood Caries (ECC), also known as cavities, is a chronic and infectious oral disease of young children.
- ECC is “the presence of one or more decayed, missing or filled tooth surfaces in any
primary tooth in a preschool-age child between birth and 71 months of age.”
- The ADA, recognizing that the science surrounding early childhood caries continues to
evolve, encourages research activities to study risk factors and preventive practices to seek
a cure for early childhood caries.
(Source: ADA Statement on Early Childhood Caries)
Stronger Public Policy For Oral Health of Massachusetts Children
CI Study Shows Significant Disparities In Oral Health Of Massachusetts Children
DID YOU KNOW?
(Source: Oral Health of Massachusetts’ Children, 2008. The Catalyst Institute) |
On January 24, 2008, the Catalyst Institute presented the results of its research into the oral health of Massachusetts’ children at the State House in Boston. The study, which was funded by Delta Dental of Massachusetts, found significant disparities in the status of children’s oral health among racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups.
The Catalyst Istitute found that Black and Hispanic children and children from low-income families are much less likely to receive the treatment that they need. For example Black third-grade students experience nearly three times the level of untreated dental disease than white third graders, while third-grade students from low-income and Hispanic families are nearly twice as likely to have untreated dental caries as their white and higher income peers.
“This report provides compelling evidence that dental disease remains a serious problem for our children, and especially among minority children and children from low-income families, even though dental disease is almost entirely preventable,” noted Fay Donohue, President and CEO of Delta Dental of Massachusetts.
Massachusetts has shown some overall improvement since the last oral health survey in 2003. The proportion of third grade children with dental disease declined from 48 percent to 41 percent.
“Still, these improvements are not reaching significant parts of the population,” said Dr. B. Alex White, DDS, DrPH, Director of Analytics for the Catalyst Institute. “More needs to be done and can be done to reduce disparities and the overall incidence of dental disease.”
If left untreated, the effects of dental disease can result in cavities, pain and infection and can inhibit learning, speech, and eating, leading to problems in school and poor nutrition. Although dental disease is almost entirely preventable, the Catalyst Institute found that close to half of all children are not receiving dental sealants, which are the most effective treatment for preventing dental decay.
The data for this Catalyst Institute report was derived from oral screening examinations of nearly 6,000 kindergarten, third grade and sixth grade children attending Massachusetts’ public schools during the 2006-2007 school year. Parents/ guardians of participating children were also surveyed. Information about both the child and the parent was collected, including any history of orofacial pain, use of dental services and barriers to access, medical and dental insurance coverage, impact of oral problems on quality of life, and self-reported oral health status. More detailed sociodemographic data on income, level of education, and size of household was also collected.
“Linking these survey findings to the data from the oral examinations will provide a more complete picture of the oral health of Massachusetts’ school children,” explained Dr. White. “More importantly, these data will establish a broader baseline from which to plan and evaluate future prevention and treatment efforts.” Results of these analyses should be available in July 2008.
Better Oral Health for Massachusetts
Leading oral health advocates in Massachusetts convened a leadership summit, June 4 and 5 in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, with the goal of establishing a statewide coalition to address disparities in oral health care. The group seeks to produce an inclusive Oral Health Plan for Massachusetts aimed at eliminating barriers and increasing access to care for all residents.
The summit follows the January 2008 release of the Catalyst Institute’s “The Oral Health of Massachusetts’ Children” report. Leading this effort are the Oral Health Foundation, Partners for a Healthier Community, Inc., Delta Dental of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Dental Society, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and the Massachusetts Dental Hygienists’ Association. This is one of the first comprehensive statewide initiatives to specifically focus on eliminating disparities in access to care. A website documents the actions of the coalition: http://www.massoralhealth.org.
Expanding Access to Oral Health Care
Catalyst Institute Safety Net Solutions program goes national
America depends on its network of clinics, community health centers and programs which currently provide care to 16 million medically underserved or uninsured Americans. “Today that critical safety net is under siege,” reports Dori Bingham, Project Manager for Safety Net Solutions. “Oral health safety net providers are challenged by poor reimbursement, operational difficulties and limited resources. Many worry about being able to keep their doors open so they can deliver on their promise to provide services.”
Safety Net Solutions partners with safety net dental programs to provide expert technical assistance in practice management. By working collaboratively with administrators, dental directors and program staff, the Safety Net Solutions team helps community oral health programs balance business and mission so they can deliver oral health care that is both effective and financially sustainable.
Our goal is to build a shared community of oral health leaders working to drive systems change. |
“The initial success of Safety Net Solutions in community centers in Massachusetts and New England since we launched this initiative in 2006 proves that individualized systems change works,” says Mark Doherty, DDS, MPH, Director of Safety Net Solutions. “As pleased as we are with our program’s progress, we can see that creating change one program at a time is too slow. There is an urgent national need for process improvement to help struggling community centers maintain financial viability. We know our Improvement Model works.”
DID YOU KNOW?
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At the 2008 National Oral Health Conference in Miami, Safety Net Solutions launched a national outreach campaign to build a network of Expert Advisors. “We are specifically looking for individuals who share our commitment and passion for community health dentistry and who have the experience, credibility, personality, career achievements and track record of accomplishment to enhance the success of this national improvement initiative,” said Bingham. Safety Net Solutions has launched a website, http://www.catalyst-safetynetsolutions.org to advance this campaign.
Oral health professionals who become Expert Advisors will receive formal training in the Safety Net Solutions tools and methods for creating sustainable community oral health programs. “Our goal is to build a shared community of oral health leaders working to drive systems change,” said Bingham. Results are shared among Expert Advisors and with funders and other key stakeholders to generate and maintain support for ongoing dental safety net improvement initiatives.
Board Member Profile: Marion Kane
Founding Board member Marion Kane is deeply committed to the Catalyst Institute’s work to improve the oral health care delivery system. “Achieving positive health outcomes, whether at the individual or community level, requires providers and patients who have the latest information to make the best treatment and disease management decisions. The Catalyst Institute’s initiatives are focused on creating and spreading that knowledge.”
Since 2000, Ms. Kane has been the Executive Director of the Barr
Foundation in Boston. She co-founded the Maine Community Foundation and served as President from 1989–2000. In that role she helped to found the Maine Grantmakers Association, the Maine Grants Information Center, the Blaine House Conversation on Philanthropy, and the Collaboration of Community Foundations for the Gulf of Maine. Previously, Ms. Kane was Director of PR for College of the Atlantic and worked as an editor, reporter, and writer for various organizations, including the Bar Harbor Times, the Sierra Club, and American Broadcasting Company. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and serves on the Board of Beacon Hill Friends House, Boston After School and Beyond, Advisor for Boston 5th Century Trustees, Director of the Somes Meynell Wildlife Sanctuary, and Member of the Maine Women’s Forum. Ms. Kane is a recipient of the Deborah Morton Award for Outstanding Women in Maine at Westbrook College. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for DSM, the Catalyst Institute’s parent.