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The Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) is a national non-profit organization representing the directors and staff of state public health agency programs for oral health. It was organized in 1948 and is one of 17 affiliates of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). ASTDD formulates and promotes the establishment of national dental public health policy, assists state dental programs in the development and implementation of programs and policies for the prevention of oral diseases; builds awareness and strengthens dental public health professionals' knowledge and skills by developing position papers and policy statements; provides information on oral health to health officials and policy makers, and conducts conferences for the dental public health community.

A strong and effective governmental oral health presence in states and territories to assure optimal oral health.

ASTDD provides leadership to promote a governmental oral health presence in each state and territory, to formulate and promote sound oral health policy, to increase awareness of oral health issues, and to assist in the development of initiatives for prevention and control of oral diseases.

The ASTDD Membership consists of the chief dental public health officer (state dental director) of the state health department or equivalent agency, and the U. S. Territories. ASTDD also offers Individual or Organizational Associate Membership which is open to any public agency, voluntary organization, tribal entity and/or health professionals employed or interested in dental public health. Members and Associate members serve on and chair committee's or work groups, receive the ASTDD newsletter, are enrolled on the ASTDD list serve, and participate in the ASTDD Annual Business Meeting held in conjunction with the annual National Oral Health Conference. Individual Associate member dues are $50.00 per year. Organizational Associate Membership dues are $300 per year.

For more information about ASTDD or to apply for Associate Membership, contact Ms. Christine Wood, ASTDD Executive Director, at cwood@astdd.org.

ASTDD Key Messages

State Oral Health Programs make an essential contribution to public health and must be continued and enhanced.

- 1. A successful SOHP must have diversified funding that includes funding for state and local evidence-based programs.
- 2. A successful SOHP needs a continuous, strong, credible, forward-thinking leader.
- 3. A successful SOHP needs a complement of staff, consultants and partners with proficiency in the
  ASTDD Competencies for SOHPs.
- 4. A successful SOHP needs one or more broad-based coalitions that include partners with fiscal and political clout.
- 5. A successful SOHP must have valid data (oral health status and other) to use for evaluation, high
  quality oral health surveillance, a state oral health plan with implementation strategies, and evidence-based programs and policies.

Announcements, Publications & Documents

New - Oral Health Matters - The Spring 2013 edition of the ASTDD newsletter; meet members and associate members, check out state shots, and much more. (June 2013)
New - ASTDD School-based Fluoride Mouthrinse Program Survey Results - The responses to the 2009 Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) Annual Member Survey, along with continuing questions to the ASTDD Fluorides Committee, suggest that states are questioning the value of fluoride mouthrinse (FMR) programs as compared to other fluoride modalities, alone, or in combination with other school oral health programs. In follow up, in November of 2010, ASTDD conducted a survey of State Dental Directors to learn more about State Oral Health Program (SOHP) FMR programs and practices. The results of the survey were highlighted in a panel presentation, "The Future of School Based Fluoride Mouthrinse Programs," at the NOHC in 2011 (June 2013)
New - ASTDD Annual Report 2012 (May 2013)
New - State Oral Health Program Infrastructure and Capacity Policy Statement (May 2013)
New - Evidence - Based Policies: A Key element of State Oral Health Infrastructure. (2 pg handout)
This handout is a targeted overview of how important evidence-based policies are to state oral health infrastructure, recommendations from the Infrastructure Enhancement Report for implementing policies , and what policymakers can do to support oral health policy development. (May 2013)
New - Opportunities for Collaboration between State Oral Health Programs and State Medicaid-CHIP Oral Health Programs - ASTDD and the Medicaid-CHIP State Dental Association (MSDA) have developed a tip sheet with examples of successful State Oral Health Program and state Medicaid-CHIP Oral Health Program collaboration. (April 2013)

Upcoming Meetings

The 2013 Convention is Less Than Two Months Away!

The 2013 National School-Based Health Care Convention is only a few months away! The theme of the 2013 convention isRedefining Health for Kids and Teens. A wide variety of exciting topics will be discussed – including children's dental health services, the benefits of obesity prevention programs, and mental health services. Click here to view the full list of workshops.

This year also features a Capitol Hill Advocacy Day. Hundreds of SBHC supporters will meet with their Senators and Representatives and ask them to support SBHCs in their districts. They can do this by advancing NASBHC's 2013 agenda: SBHC operations funding and reauthorizing the SBHC program in federal law.

Don't miss out on these opportunities. Join your peers for three days of learning, networking, and advocacy. Register for the 2013 Convention today!
100th Anniversary Celebration of Dental Hygiene: June 19-25, 2013 – Boston, MA

Celebrate 100 years of the dental hygiene profession at the Center for Lifelong Learning at the 90th Annual Session in Boston! ADHA's CLL at the 90th Annual Session is the largest national dental hygiene meeting in 2013, attracting over 3,000 attendees from around the world. Registration opens January 9 and begins at $175 (ADHA member rate). Visit ADHA's website at www.adha.org/annual-session to find out more.
Save the Date!

2014 National Oral Health Conference

April 28 - 30 2014; Pre-Conference April 26 - 27

Fort Worth, Texas

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