Podcast

Closing the Gap: Disparities in Oral Health and Access to Dental Care

Launch Date

09/30/2021

Credit Amount

1 Hours

Credit Expires

09/30/2024

Faculty

Monica E. Peek, MD, MPH, MSc

(she/her/hers)

Ellen H. Block Professor of Health Justice in the Department of Medicine

Associate Director, Chicago Center for Diabetes Translation Research

Director of Research, MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics

The University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

Hazel J. Harper, DDS, MPH, FACD

Founding Director, NDA-HEALTH NOW

Past President, National Dental Association

Hazel J. Harper, DDS, MPH, FACD

Founding Director, NDA-HEALTH NOW

Dr. Hazel Harper is a graduate of Howard University College of Dentistry and the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. She maintains a part-time private practice in general dentistry in Washington, DC. She is President and CEO of Hazel J. Harper & Associates, LLC, management consultants and President and Founder of Hear to HEAL, Inc., a non-profit to support interprofessional education, community groups, and student leadership.

She has served her profession in many leadership roles including: a member of President Bill Clintonâ€™s Health Reform Task Force; National Spokesperson for the American Dental Association; Transition Teams of District of Columbia mayors Sharon Pratt Kelly and Marion Barry; and reviewer of the first ever Surgeon Generalâ€™s Report on Oral Health in America, under the direction of US Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher (2000). She has served on the Board of Directors of Oral Health America, the American Association of Women Dentists, the Ed Shils Entrepreneurial Fund, and the planning committees of the ADEA International Womenâ€™s Leadership Summits. She was on the Clinical Advisory Boards of Dentsply International, GlaxoSmithKline, Adec and Discus Dental, and the Editorial Board of the Woman Dentist Journal as well as the Editorial Advisory Board of Heart and Soul Magazine.

Dr. Harper is a woman of many firsts â€“ the first woman President of the National Dental Association (1997), Chairman of the NDA Board of Trustees, and President of the Howard University College of Dentistry Alumni Association. She was one of the founders of the Student National Dental Association, longtime editor of National Dental Association (NDA) Journal and created many NDA programs including: The Womenâ€™sâ€™ Health Symposium, NDA-Corporate Roundtable, and the Eddie G. Smith Leadership Institute. She co-founded and directed the Deamonte Driver Dental Project (DDDP), a school-based, mobile dental project in Prince Georgeâ€™s County, MD, named in memory of the 12-year-old boy who died in 2007 from untreated tooth decay. She is currently the Founding Director of the award-winning NDA-HEALTH NOWÂ® Project and architect of the Inter-Professional Student Leaders Colloquium and Summit. Since Deamonteâ€™s death, Dr. Harper has devoted her energies and creative talents to developing, implementing, and supporting interprofessional health education programs and community outreach events in cities across America and the world.

Her reputation for innovation and success has merited awards from several foundations including the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Coca-Cola Foundation, Henry Schein Cares Foundation, Aetna Foundation, GEâ€™s African American Forum, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the DentaQuest Foundation, and many others. She received an Honorary Doctorate from Medgar Evans College in Brooklyn, NY. Dr. Harper lectures and writes extensively on eliminating health disparities, and in 2019, she was lead author of book chapters in Oral Health in America: Removing the Stain of Disparities, published by the American Public Health Association. She is a contributing author for the 2020 Surgeon Generalâ€™s Report on Oral Health.

She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the Links, Incorporated, and enjoys traveling with her husband, Robert S. Johns.

Statement of Need

Disparities in oral health care are compounded by a fragmented health care/dental system that has led to a knowledge gap between medical and oral health care. Root causes of oral health inequity also include structural racism and social determinants, such as poor oral health literacy and low-income socioeconomic status, and an overall lack of access and dental insurance. Education for both health care professionals (HCPs) and patients on the link between oral and overall health, and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration are imperative to close the gaps in oral health.

In this CME Outfitters podcast, expert faculty detail the systemic and social determinants that contribute to oral health disparities, particularly the factors that contribute to dental health disparities in patients of color. Faculty also provide action steps for medical and dental HCPs to help mitigate inequities in oral health and the consequences of poor dental care.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this CME/CE activity, participants should be able to:

Identify systemic and social determinants that contribute to oral health disparities.
Assess factors that contribute to dental health disparities in patients of color.

Financial Support

Supported by an educational grant from the Johnson & Johnson Institute and the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies.

Target Audience

Dentists, physicians, nurse practitioners, PAs, nurses, and pharmacists

Credit Information

Jointly Accredited Provider

In support of improving patient care, CME Outfitters, LLC, is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Physicians (ACCME) .75

CME Outfitters, LLC, is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. CME Outfitters, LLC, designates this enduring activity for a maximum of .75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Note to Nurse Practitioners

Nurse Practitioners can apply for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™ through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). AANP will accept AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™ from organizations accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. Nurse practitioners can also apply for credit through their state boards.

Note for California Nurses

This continuing nursing education activity was approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing. CME Outfitters LLC’s provider number is CEP15510.

Pharmacists/Pharmacy Tech (ACPE)

This application-based activity is approved for 1.0 contact hour (0.10 CEUs) of continuing pharmacy credit.

Dentists (ADA CERP)

This course meets the Dental Board of California's requirements for the above specified unit(s) of continuing education.

PAs (AAPA)

CME Outfitters, LLC, has been authorized by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 1.0 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. Approval is valid until the expiration date listed above. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.

ABIM MOC

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.0 MOC point in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

Royal College MOC

Through an agreement between the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, medical practitioners participating in the Royal College MOC Program may record completion of accredited activities registered under the ACCME’s “CME in Support of MOC” program in Section 3 of the Royal College’s MOC Program.

MIPS Improvement Activity

This activity counts towards MIPS Improvement Activity requirements under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). Clinicians should submit their improvement activities by attestation via the CMS Quality Payment Program website.

Disclosures

It is the policy of CME Outfitters, LLC, to ensure independence, balance, objectivity, and scientific rigor and integrity in all of their CE activities. Faculty must disclose to the participants any relationships with commercial companies whose products or devices may be mentioned in faculty presentations, or with the commercial supporter of this CE activity. CME Outfitters, LLC, has evaluated, identified, and mitigated any potential conflicts of interest through a rigorous content validation procedure, use of evidence-based data/research, and a multidisciplinary peer review process. The following information is for participant information only. It is not assumed that these relationships will have a negative impact on the presentations.

Dr. Peek has no disclosures to report.

Dr. Harper has no disclosures to report.

The following peer reviewer and CME Outfitters staff have no financial relationships:

Jeffrey Helfand, DO, (peer reviewer) has no disclosures to report.

Noreen Iftikhar, MD, (planning committee) has no disclosures to report.

Kathleen Blake, PhD, (planning committee) has no disclosures to report.

Jan Perez (planning committee) has no disclosures to report.

Sharon Tordoff (planning committee) has no disclosures to report.

Disclosures were obtained from the CME Outfitters, LLC, staff: No disclosures to report.

Faculty of this CE activity may include discussions of products or devices that are not currently labeled for use by the FDA. The faculty have been informed of their responsibility to disclose to the audience if they will be discussing off-label or investigational uses (any uses not approved by the FDA) of products or devices.

Additional Formats

Post-tests, credit request forms, and activity evaluations must be completed online (requires free account activation), and participants can print their certificate or statement of credit immediately (75% pass rate required). This website supports all browsers except Internet Explorer for Mac. For complete technical requirements and privacy policy, visit our Privacy & Confidentiality page.

NOTE: Pharmacist CE Universal Activity Number, Enduring: JA0007185-0000-22-125-H01-P