Catalyst Institute’s Oral Health Center Ranks 1st in PEARL Network Research Efforts

The Catalyst Institute’s Westborough-based Oral Health Center was named the top dental practice in recruitment of subjects to participate in research aimed at improving oral health care. The Oral Health Center is one of nearly 150 practices in 12 states participating in the PEARL Network. PEARL, which stands for Practitioners Engaged in Applied Research and Learning, is one of three regional practice-based research networks funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Practices within the PEARL Network agree to help develop and participate in oral health research studies on topics of interest to practicing dentists. The Oral Health Center is currently involved in three Network studies and will be starting a fourth randomized clinical trial later this year.

Along with the distinction of being number one in recruitment, the Oral Health Center’s president, Dr. Peter Blanchard, was recently elected to serve on the PEARL Network’s nine-member Executive Committee. In this role, Dr. Blanchard is not only expanding the Oral Health Center’s leadership role within the Network and but is also establishing a national presence for the Catalyst Institute in helping to shape research that improves oral health care.
 

 

CATALYST INSTITUTE LAUNCHES NATIONAL PROGRAM TO EXPAND ACCESS TO SAFETY NET ORAL HEALTH CARE

(Boston, MA) – The Catalyst Institute today launched the national expansion of Safety Net Solutions, a program designed to expand access to oral health care by providing technical assistance to dental safety net providers. The Safety Net Solutions program seeks to transform the hundreds of struggling oral health programs at community health centers and clinics into financially viable programs so that they are not only preserved as a resource, but also have the ability to expand.  

“Safety Net Solutions’ focus is a critically needed resource for providing dental care to underserved populations,” said Mark Doherty, Project Director. “These safety net dental programs are essential to meeting the oral health needs of the uninsured and those on Medicaid. In today's challenging reimbursement environment, most safety net dental programs struggle to achieve sustainability.  There is no question that safety net dental programs provide high-quality clinical care to our nation's most vulnerable residents.  However, without a strong balance between mission-focused care and strong business practices, the sustainability of safety net dental practices is in jeopardy.”

Safety Net Solutions seeks to stabilize dental programs with a thorough audit of business and dental practice systems and operations. Safety Net Solutions provides dental programs with a range of potential strategies they can adopt to enhance efficiency, effectiveness and financial sustainability, with the ultimate goal of enabling programs to reach more patients. Doherty and his team are recruiting Expert Advisors from across the United States who will expand the scope and reach of Safety Net Solutions nationally over the next three years.

The Safety Net Solutions initiative began in New England in 2006. While the program initiators anticipated working with three to four community health centers in the first year, demand was so strong that Safety Net Solutions assisted 17 organizations in 4 New England states in the first 18 months alone.  Case studies show that while many of these community health center-based oral health programs were being cut back or in danger of closing, they are now experiencing a rise in patient visits and are even expanding. Through collaboration with Safety Net Solutions, community health center dental practices develop business strategies that reduce their dependence on assistance, so they can become financially sustainable through their own operations.

 “Safety Net Solutions helped us to better understand our providers, our productivity and to monitor our practice. They really gave us a tool kit,” said Lisa Levine, COO, Dorchester House Multi-Service Center, Dorchester, MA. “It really helps us maximize both revenue and patient access. Safety Net Solutions offers the kind of expertise that few centers have in-house. “

Doherty and his team are based at The Catalyst Institute, 2400 Computer Drive in Westborough, Massachusetts. They have also launched a website for the program at http://www.catalyst-safetynetsolutions.org.

About the Catalyst Institute:
The Catalyst Institute is committed to transforming oral health by improving the effectiveness, efficiency and quality of oral health care through direct research, demonstration projects, education and training. The Catalyst Institute is a member of the DSM family of oral health companies.

CI Releases Results of Major Assessment of Children’s Oral
Health in Massachusetts

STUDY SHOWS SIGNIFICANT DISPARITIES IN ORAL HEALTH OF MASS. CHILDREN

One in ten Black, Hispanic and low-income children suffer from pain in teeth and mouth

One out of ten Black, Hispanic and low-income children in the third grade are suffering from pain in their teeth and mouth, according to a report of the Catalyst Institute, funded by Delta Dental of Massachusetts, which found significant disparities in the status of children’s oral healthcare among racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. 

More than 60 percent of third grade children from low-income families suffer from dental decay compared to 33 percent of children from higher income families, according to the study, "The Oral Health of Massachusetts’ Children”, which was conducted by the Catalyst Institute. Further, 58 percent of Hispanic third graders and 51 percent of Black third graders suffer from dental decay versus 36 percent of white third grade children.

“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,” according to Fay Donohue, President and CEO of Delta Dental of Massachusetts. 

The report found that Black and Hispanic children and children from low-income families are much less likely to receive the treatment that they need. 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. 

Further, children from low-income families are almost nine times more likely to need urgent care due to pain or infection than children from higher income families.

The study also finds that about 19,000 children, or more than one in four children, are starting school with dental disease.  Early incidence of dental disease disproportionately affects minority and low-income kindergarten children; Hispanic and Black children and children from low-income families experience nearly two times the incidence of disease than white children and children from higher –income families.
 
“We can do better. Delta Dental is committed to eliminating the significant oral health disparities identified in this report.  Our goal is to ensure that all Massachusetts residents – particularly children – have access to prevention and treatment services that can eliminate dental disease.”

“We can’t do this alone,” said Donohue. As a first step, Donohue announced that Delta Dental will convene a summit of dental and other health care providers, along with community, educational, and business leaders and political officials to develop a statewide action plan for solving the problems identified in the report. 

The state has shown some overall improvement since the last oral health survey in 2003. The proportion of third grade children with dental disease has 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 report found that still close to half of all children are not receiving dental sealants, which are the most effective treatment for preventing dental decay.

For more information, contact the Catalyst Institute at 508-329-2280.

 

CI Launches Project with Children's Hospital Boston and St. Joseph Hospital, Providence to Improve Quality Care for Young Children with Oral Disease

Pediatric dentistry programs at Children’s Hospital Boston and Saint Joseph Hospital in Providence, like hospital dental departments nationwide, care for a disproportionate number of young children with early childhood caries. These programs also confront months-long backlogs of young children awaiting extensive dental repair in the operating room. Even as they await restorative care, many young children experience pain and dysfunction that requires programs to “leapfrog” them to the head of the line. Once “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 this traditional dental repair to mitigate the underlying caries process.

The Early Childhood Caries Project seeks to demonstrate that an alternative science-based approach to managing young children’s caries in hospital settings can improve quality of care. Outcome measures targeted to evaluate the program impact include: (1) the percent of high-risk patients presenting with new cavitated lesions at the most recent exam; (2) the percent of patients complaining of pain on the most recent visit; (3) the percent of patients experiencing dental treatment in the operating room.

The utility of this demonstration is its capacity to develop and refine replicable protocol-driven systems of care that improve quality measures of effectiveness, efficiency, equity, timeliness, safety, and patient centeredness. This project is envisioned as the foundation for major reform in how dentists clinically manage young children suffering from early childhood caries and its associated costs and consequences.

The Project is a collaborative effort between the Catalyst Institute, Children’s Hospital Boston and St. Joseph Hospital in Providence.  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.

For more information, contact the Catalyst Institute at 508-329-2280.