By Steve Pollock and Sarah Bedard Holland For adults who receive health care coverage under Virginia’s Medicaid program, access to oral health care was previously limited to emergency care only, which often meant care was only available when a person’s mouth was in such bad shape that tooth extraction was necessary, leaving a hole or holes in the mouth. Steve Pollock is president and CEO of DentaQuest, the organization that administers the Medicaid dental benefit in Virginia. Sarah Bedard Holland is CEO of Virginia Health Catalyst.

While TikTok is a great platform for dancing and entertaining videos, some are using it for Dental DIY hacks. When it comes to your teeth, the Dental Director of Louisiana DentaQuest, Dr. Damien Cuffie, says you shouldn't be using dental hacks from TikTok.

According to reports, the rise of the social media platform TikTok during the past year has led to an increase in do-it-yourself (DIY) dentistry that many professionals in the oral health community, including Amber Bonnaig, DDS, of DentaQuest, are warning against due to the harmful impacts it can have on one’s mouth.

Dr. Barefoot has clinical experience delivering patient care in private practice, as part of an HMO dental clinic, via mobile dentistry serving mostly Medicaid schoolchildren, and with other volunteers caring for rural communities in Honduras. His 30-year career in dentistry is complemented by a series of other non-dental endeavors that include medical research at Methodist Hospital of Indiana and business development, analysis, and analytics in a range of areas. He joined DentaQuest in 2016 as dental director for Indiana. In his current role, he provides clinical input to develop new care programs, to manage the design of quality measures, and to respond to questions from providers participating in value-based programs.

The Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) and DentaQuest, the state’s Medicaid dental benefits administrator, are working closely with dental providers to encourage participation in the initiative. Providers wishing to serve Medicaid members can call 1-888-912-3456 or visit the Dentaquest website for information on credentialing and enrolling in the Medicaid provider network.

“Throughout the pandemic, DentaQuest has been committed to our mission of meeting oral health needs across the country. This campaign provides a kid-specific opportunity to learn lessons they can carry with them and live a healthy lifestyle well into adulthood.”

Dr. Barefoot is a clinical leader at DentaQuest, one of the nation’s largest oral health organizations working to improve the oral health of all. The ideal VBC program design is one that can be easily incorporated into the day-to-day operations of the office with minimal extra effort. In such a program, the office understands and embraces the VBC objective of improving population health and recognizes that outreach to its assigned patients is an important aspect of the program. The ideal program also means that any modifications made to participate in it aren’t disruptive to the patient experience.

It comes as no surprise to anyone that the oral health profession continues to lack diversity. According to the American Dental Education Association, in 2016, only 15.2% of the applicants to dental school were from underrepresented populations. Steve Pollock, CEO of DentaQuest, discusses the specific steps DentaQuest is making to make a difference for a diverse future in dentistry.

George Barker and Myechia Minter-Jordan column

By Dr. Michael Monopoli

The first in a two-part series focusing on how CEOs can lead health care organizations in using data to improve disparities, social determinants and community partnerships. Myechia Minter-Jordan, MD, President and CEO, DentaQuest Partnership for Oral Health Advancement, cautioned against confusing race data with lower income. “We know very clearly that some of the inequities within Black and Brown communities exist regardless of income, particularly as you think about maternal mortality, etc.,” Minter-Jordan said.