Dental Champions - Oral Health Kansas

Dental Champions - Oral Health Kansas Dental Champions is a leadership program developed by Oral Health Kansas.

The program offers participants leadership and personal development training as well as other training focused on planning and organizational skills and up-to-date information about the oral health scene in Kansas and the nation.

The conference planning committee is busy preparing for this year’s annual conference and are seeking sponsors and exhib...
06/12/2026

The conference planning committee is busy preparing for this year’s annual conference and are seeking sponsors and exhibitors! We’re excited to have Whit Downing, Vice President of Policy and Programming at the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities, as our Keynote Speaker. She’ll share her compelling life story of an autistic self-advocate with lived experience.

The Conference on Oral Health will be held on Friday, November 13 from 8:30am-4:00pm at the KU Edwards Campus, 12600 Quivira Road in Overland Park. We have opened the conference for sponsors or exhibitors. This is a unique opportunity for organizations to reach the dental public health community. If you are interested or want to learn more, click here to view the sponsorship levels. Contact us at [email protected] for more information.

Hosted by Oral Health Kansas, the Kansas Dental Association, and the Pathways to Oral Health team, join us on Tuesday, J...
06/11/2026

Hosted by Oral Health Kansas, the Kansas Dental Association, and the Pathways to Oral Health team, join us on Tuesday, June 16 for a special webinar on Medicaid Value Added Benefits (VABs): What You Need to Know. VABs are extra perks offered by the three KanCare (Medicaid) managed care organizations (MCOs) on top of standard KanCare coverage. Each of the three managed care companies offers their own special benefits to people who join their plan and they’ll each take time to share what benefits they offer for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This is a perfect FREE CE opportunity for dental offices to learn more

Date: June 16, 2026
Time: 12:00pm – 12:30pm

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/KZIM450OTHKwaQh_Hh0Ktg #/registration

June is National Men's Health Awareness Month and Men’s Health Week begins this week from June 8 - 14! Men’s Health Week...
06/10/2026

June is National Men's Health Awareness Month and Men’s Health Week begins this week from June 8 - 14! Men’s Health Week is a week to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection. Men are often less likely than women to seek preventive healthcare, including oral health. Help encourage the men in your life to schedule dental checkups and eat well including limiting sugar drinks and foods.

What can you do at home?
• Brush your teeth daily at least twice a day for two minutes.
• Use toothpaste with fluoride.
• Floss!
• Limit sugary drinks to special days. If this is difficult, drink your beverage at one sitting to avoid acid attacks.
• Drink water to stay hydrated!
• Avoid snacking throughout the day, if possible. Snacking all day can also cause acid attacks!

Small steps today can lead to healthier tomorrows. It can also lead to healthier habits we do every day!

Tips and Tricks Soft Drinks and Cavities: https://www.oralhealthkansas.org/Tips And Tricks/TT-SoftDrinks-English.pdf

Tips and Tricks Healthy Eating: https://www.oralhealthkansas.org/Tips And Tricks/Healthy EatingTT.pdf

Last week, Oral Health Kansas staff traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with members of the Kansas Congressional Delega...
06/10/2026

Last week, Oral Health Kansas staff traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with members of the Kansas Congressional Delegation and advocate for key federal oral health priorities.
During the visit, staff met with representatives from Senator Jerry Moran's office, Senator Roger Marshall's office, and each of Kansas' four Congressional offices.

A primary focus of the meetings was support for H.R. 210, the Dental Care for Veterans Act, which would make dental care a standard benefit for all veterans enrolled in the VA health system. Following our meetings, Rep. Sharice Davids signed on as a co-sponsor of H.R. 210.

The meetings also highlighted the importance of protecting Medicaid funding and preserving access to essential oral health services for Kansans. Oral Health Kansas hand-delivered the letter signed by 29 organizations urging Congress to prevent cuts to Medicaid dental care. The letter underscored the critical role Medicaid plays in helping children, adults, older adults, and individuals with disabilities access oral health services throughout Kansas.

In addition, staff advocated for S. 4008, the Promoting Dental Health Act, which would reauthorize funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Oral Health Program and help ensure oral health remains represented within federal public health efforts.

In Senator Moran's office, national partners from CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the American Institute of Disparities in Public Health joined Oral Health Kansas to meet with staff from the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. Together, the group discussed the importance of expanding access to dental care for veterans, and the positive impact comprehensive dental coverage could have on overall health and quality of life.

These meetings provided an important opportunity to elevate oral health as a health equity issue and share the real-world impact federal policy decisions have on Kansas communities. Oral Health Kansas looks forward to continuing conversations with members of the Kansas Congressional Delegation and their staff as federal policy discussions move forward. We will continue working with national and state partners to advance policies that improve access to oral health care for veterans, protect Medicaid coverage, and strengthen federal support for oral health programs.

If you have any questions, you can email us at [email protected]

Have you signed up to learn more about Value Added Benefits (VABs)? What are Value Added Benefits and how can you talk t...
06/08/2026

Have you signed up to learn more about Value Added Benefits (VABs)? What are Value Added Benefits and how can you talk to your patients about it?

Sign up now to learn more! Join us and the three Managed Care Organizations for a short, 30 minute webinar on VABs. It will be held on June 16 beginning at 12:00pm. You must register to join.

Oral Health Kansas, the Kansas Dental Association, and the Pathways to Oral Health team are hosting this event! If you have any questions, you can reach out to us at [email protected].

https://tinyurl.com/2s3bzyk3

The deadline to vote in Kansas is July 14. You can register to vote or update your voter registration to change address ...
06/08/2026

The deadline to vote in Kansas is July 14. You can register to vote or update your voter registration to change address or name to be able to participate in the August 4, 2026, primary election and the Kansas general election on November 3, 2026. You can use the Online Voter Registration Application or Print the Voter Registration Application. View an unofficial list of candidates who have filed for other statewide offices on votekansas.gov. The list will remain unofficial until Monday, June 15.

Families Together, Inc. shared an article from the ARC about Voting Rights for People with Disabilities Who Have a Guardian. Some people think that any person with a guardian cannot vote but that is not the case. Having a guardian does not automatically take away your right to vote. A guardian is a person a court chooses to help someone make decisions. But even if you have a guardian, you may still be able to vote. If you are unsure if you can vote, you can always check with your state or local election office.

Online Voter Registration Application: https://www.kdor.ks.gov/Apps/VoterReg

Voter Registration Application:
https://sos.ks.gov/forms/elections/voterregistration.pdf

Voting Rights for People who Have a Guardian:
https://tinyurl.com/5ec32sfp

June is Pride Month which commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York and celebrates le***an, gay, bisexual, tr...
06/07/2026

June is Pride Month which commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York and celebrates le***an, gay, bisexual, transgender, q***r, intersex, agender/asexual (LGBTQIA), and other gender/sexual identity communities and the fight for equal rights. It’s also a time to educate communities on the inequities people in the LGBTQIA community experience. Fear of discrimination can deter LGBTQIA people from seeking regular dental check-ups and treatment. Dental practices can create welcoming environments for LGBTQIA patients, including non-discriminatory policies and inclusive language or having visible signs of support such as LGBTQIA friendly materials or symbols on display.

My Dental Care Passport is a useful resource for someone to fill out information about themselves, including gender and preferred pronouns before their dental appointment. An excellent way for dental providers to connect with their patients.
https://pathwaystooralhealth.org/my-dental-care-passport/

A report from CareQuest Institute for Oral Health and the American Institute on Disparities in Public Health provides a state-level analysis of transgender and cisgender q***r people’s access to dental care, general health indicators, oral health indicators, and social drivers of health. Some of the findings were:
• Utilizing dental care was strongly associated with people’s general health, general health care utilization, mental health, and dental care utilization.
• Transgender adults consistently experience the highest rates of tooth loss, especially in states with exclusionary policies.
• LGBTQIA adults generally have better oral health outcomes than transgender adults but still face disparities compared to cisgender heterosexual adults.

https://carequest.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/CareQuest_Institute_AIDPH_Mapping-the-Health-Divide_1.7.26-1.pdf

Addressing oral health in the LGBTQIA community requires a multifaceted approach that includes education, access to care, and addressing underlying social determinants of health. By creating inclusive environments and providing tailored care, dental professionals can help reduce oral health disparities and improve overall health outcomes for LGBTQIA individuals.

We often get calls from individuals looking for a dentist. They may be insured or uninsured and don’t know where to star...
06/06/2026

We often get calls from individuals looking for a dentist. They may be insured or uninsured and don’t know where to start. If you get similar calls, you can direct them to our Finding a Dentist webpage. This site has a section on Community Dental Clinics, which are low-cost clinics. These clinics can offer dental care for people with KanCare (Medicaid), private insurance, or no insurance at all. We also have information on how to find a dentist that accepts KanCare (Medicaid).

Every situation is unique, but this guidance can point you in the right direction. If you find a discrepancy in the information on the site, please email us at [email protected] so we can keep it updated.

Finding a Dentist webpage: https://www.oralhealthkansas.org/FindingDentist.html

Community Dental Clinic webpage:
https://www.oralhealthkansas.org/CommunityDentalClinics.html

Congratulations to Dental Champions Class 2 Alumna, Junetta Everett, who was recently named Women in Business Hall of Fa...
06/05/2026

Congratulations to Dental Champions Class 2 Alumna, Junetta Everett, who was recently named Women in Business Hall of Fame in the Wichita Business Journal. The Wichita Business Journal’s 2026 Women in Business Awards honor female business professionals in our area who have created successful careers and improved their companies and their community. This is the 17th year of the Women in Business program, and this year 35 honorees were included.

Oral Health Kansas staff will travel this week to Washington, D.C. to advocate for several important oral health policy ...
06/04/2026

Oral Health Kansas staff will travel this week to Washington, D.C. to advocate for several important oral health policy priorities. First, these include supporting H.R. 210, the Dental Care for Veterans Act, which would make dental care a standard benefit for all veterans enrolled in the VA health system. Second, protecting access to essential oral health services by maintaining stable Medicaid funding, and lastly, supporting S. 4008, the Promoting Dental Health Act, which would reauthorize funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Oral Health Program for five years and help ensure oral health remains represented within federal agencies.

Thank you to the 29 organizations that signed on to our letter to the Kansas Congressional Delegation to prevent cuts to Medicaid dental care. We will be hand delivering it this week! You can view the letter with signatures here.
https://tinyurl.com/36p9zaz7

Watch our Weekly Wednesday Update next week for an update on our visits!

Address

PO Box 4567
Topeka, KS
66604

Telephone

+17852356069

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