Dental Champions - Oral Health Kansas

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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.

04/26/2026

The American Network of Oral Health Coalitions (ANOHC) is a national organization supporting state and territorial oral health coalitions. ANOHC has announced a new opportunity to join their growing team as a Communications and Meetings Coordinator.
This new role will lead day-to-day communications, including social media, newsletters, content creation, and website updates, while also supporting virtual member meetings and an in-person annual convening. The position will play a key role in ensuring consistent, high-quality communications and meaningful connections across the national coalition network.

Learn more about the position through the link at the top of the ANOHC website.
https://anohc.org/

04/25/2026

The Excellence in Oral Health Award nominations are open. Nominate someone who has made over the top efforts to create better oral health opportunities in Kansas.

Last year, Melanie Jacobs won the Excellence in Oral Health Volunteer Award. She joined Oral Health Kansas’ Lived Experience Advisory Group when it formed in 2023. Her daughter Sandra is a young adult with developmental disabilities who has struggled to access dental care. Since she joined the Lived Experience group, she has become an integral volunteer with our organization. Melanie has presented legislative testimony several times, sat on a panel at the Conference on Oral Health and the Community Care Network of Kansas dental conference, and most recently presented at the National Oral Health Conference in Oklahoma. She’s also given presentations to dental students and dental hygiene students to help them understand the barriers people with disabilities face in accessing dental care.
Do you know someone who is making a difference? You can nominate them for an Excellence in Oral Health Award.

The categories are listed below:
• Outstanding Organization Award - An organization that is distinguished from others in excellence in promoting oral health awareness in Kansas.
• Outstanding Dental Hygienist Award - A dental hygienist that is distinguished from others in excellence, who goes beyond the call of duty and is committed to improving the oral health of Kansans.
• Outstanding Dentist Award - A dentist that is distinguished from others in excellence, who goes beyond the call of duty and is committed to improving the oral health of Kansans.
• Outstanding Community Leader Award - A community leader that is distinguished from others in excellence, who goes beyond the call of duty and is committed to improving the oral health of Kansans.
• Bob Bethell Outstanding Policy Maker Award - An outstanding policy maker that is distinguished from others in excellence, who shows support for the oral health of all Kansans.
• Outstanding Oral Health Volunteer Award - An outstanding non-dental volunteer who demonstrates a positive difference in an organization - someone who saw a problem and got involved to find a solution.
• Ron Alexander Outstanding Dental Champion Award - This award is designed to recognize the outstanding work a Dental Champion has done as a direct result of participating in the Dental Champions Leadership Program.

Follow this link and nominate someone now. The deadline for submitting nominations is Friday, August 28 by 5:00pm.
https://www.oralhealthkansas.org/AwardWinners.html

04/24/2026

Congratulations to our very own Kathy Hunt, Dental Program Director, for being awarded the 2026 M. Dean Perkins Distinguished Service award during the National Oral Health Conference last week. This honor is presented by the Association of State & Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) to individuals or organizations demonstrating outstanding contributions to dental public health. Kathy, along with Gina Sharps, was awarded for their work as the leads for the Dental Hygienist Liaison Project.

The project was supported through the National Center on Health, Behavioral Health, and Safety, and which supports dental hygienists from each state who help promote oral health among expectant parents and children enrolled in Head Start programs.

04/23/2026

Last week, Oral Health Kansas staff attended the National Oral Health Conference in Oklahoma City. The week began with the American Network of Oral Health Coalitions (ANOHC) meeting. Each state that is a member of ANOHC shared what they’re working on. Wow, we learned a lot! It was great meeting people that are working hard all over the United States to make their communities healthier! These are some determined people!
OHK staff presented four different sessions and two round tables. Melanie Jacobs, Lived Experience Advisory Group member was on a panel and shared her story about being a parent with an adult child with a disability who struggled to find dental care. Thank you to Tara Dimick, CEO of Compass Marketing and Advertising Partners for joining us and sharing how telling the stories of consumers and providers is helping the Pathways to Oral Health campaign grow.

Blake Harris and Trisha Martin joined us from the Kansas Neurological Institute (KNI). KNI has integrated oral health into their new staff trainings. Staff are trained on how to brush the teeth of others and how to manage residents that struggle with toothbrushing. Although this is a work in progress, they’re seeing improvements in residents’ oral health and staff members are also commenting on how much they have learned about dental care. An audience member praised KNI and said this should be a national model.

Staff also gave presentations about the Feeling Good About Your Smile educational program and toolkit to advocate for dental offices to accept Medicaid.

We are grateful for our partners who drove hours away to be at this conference with us and share the importance of the work we are doing together.

04/22/2026

Governor Kelly signed the new budget bill into law on April 9. The bill includes $2 million in state general funds for a second Medicaid dental rate increase. With the federal matching funds, the new rate increase should total about $5 million. This is roughly half as much as the rate increase in 2025, but in a year in which budget cutting was the priority in the Kansas Legislature, it is meaningful that a further investment in the Medicaid dental program was a priority.

Dozens of dental providers and consumers joined in the advocacy to push for the rate increase. It is part of the Pathways to Oral Health strategy to grow the Medicaid dental provider network. Following the 2025 rate increase, the pace at which dental providers were leaving the Kansas Medicaid program slowed, and at least 30 providers joined the program.

Oral Health Kansas and the Kansas Dental Association will partner with the Kansas Medicaid program to use provider insight to target the 2026 increase at services that will be the most impactful. More information about this will be available in the coming weeks. The rate increase is scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2026.

This year the Kansas Legislature also invested $1 million to pay for mobile anesthesia services for in-office sedation for dental care for people who have dual Medicare and Medicaid eligibility. This has been a service gap for several years, and this new funding should address that challenge.

04/20/2026

Topeka families! Attend the Roll and Read event this Saturday, April 25.

Look for the Shawnee County Oral Health Coalition table and say hi!

04/13/2026

April is National Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Month, a time when communities across the country come together to strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect before it occurs. Thanks to the Kansas Children’s Service League (KCSL), the Pinwheels of Possibility campaign celebrates the limitless potential of children and families when communities rally around them. Throughout CAP Month, KCSL will spotlight the power of early, ongoing support through digital storytelling, events and activations across the state.

Oral health professionals play a critical role in recognizing signs of child abuse and neglect, as many injuries occur in the head, face, and mouth. Unexplained bruising, lacerations, burns, or untreated dental issues may be indicators of harm or neglect. Early identification and appropriate reporting can help protect children and connect them with the care and support they need.

Protecting children’s health includes recognizing that oral injuries and untreated dental conditions can be signs of abuse or neglect. Raising awareness and supporting early intervention are key to keeping children safe.

04/12/2026

Share! Share! Share!

We're eager to find the next person who will continue to lead Oral Health Kansas to it’s greatest achievements. The Executive Director will be full time in Kansas and to advance our mission to improve oral health statewide through advocacy, systems change, and coalition building. The role calls for someone who cares deeply about the purpose of Oral Health Kansas, works well with others, can turn ideas into real results, and helps create a welcoming and supportive environment for everyone. The Executive Director will steward strong legislative, funder, and community partnerships, support staff, and guide sustainable statewide growth. Although this position offers flexible remote work, the individual must also be flexible in understanding that circumstances and deadlines change quite often! The position provides optional Topeka office use and occasional in-person meetings, events, and legislative engagement. This person must also comprehend managing organizational operations, budgets, and staff.

Those interested in applying can access the full job description as well as apply here. To apply, you will also need to include a Cover Letter, Resume, and a professional writing sample. The sample can be a strategic presentation, published article, policy brief, grant proposal, media release, or similar work that reflects your leadership and communication style.

If you have any questions about the position, please call HR Partners (785) 233-7860.

04/11/2026

This week, Abby presented at the Children’s Mercy Autism Parent and Caregiver Conference, where she both hosted an exhibit and led a breakout session for families. At her exhibit, she shared a wide range of Pathways to Oral Health resources designed to support individuals with autism and their caregivers. She also delivered a presentation titled “Gentle Routines, Bright Smiles: Oral Care for Autism” to 52 participants. During the session, Abby discussed what daily oral home care can look like and introduced practical tools to make routines more manageable. She highlighted resources such as the Confidence in Every Smile video series, helping caregivers feel more confident in supporting their loved one’s oral health.

04/10/2026

We are thrilled to announce that nominations for the Excellence in Oral Health Awards are officially open! It is time to recognize the outstanding contributions of Kansas who have demonstrated excellence in oral health. There are two opportunities for nominations: The Excellence in Oral Health Award and the Ron Alexander Outstanding Dental Champion Award. The Ron Alexander Outstanding Dental Champion Award is designed to recognize the outstanding work a Dental Champion has done as a direct result of participating in the Dental Champions Leadership Program.

The award winners will be announced at the Conference on Oral Health at the KU Edwards Campus on Friday, November 13. We are hopeful award winners are able to attend.

For nomination award info and to view the past award winners, visit the Excellence in Oral Health Award webpage. The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, August 28 by 5:00pm.
https://www.oralhealthkansas.org/AwardWinners.html

04/09/2026

Although it was April Fools Day, we are not kidding when we say we learned so much from the USD 501 Parents as Teachers (PAT) staff meeting. Oral Health Kansas was invited to join home visitors during their staff meeting to demonstrate what happens to our teeth when we eat sugary foods or consume sugary drinks. The home visitors were amazed to hear that if you “sip all day, get tooth decay”. That’s right! One sip of a sugary drink causes an acid attack to your teeth for 20 minutes. Each time you sip, it’s a 20-minute attack. That’s why we suggest you shouldn’t sip all day. If you’re going to drink a sugary drink, drink it all at once. If you’re going to eat a food that contains sugar, eat it at once and also drink water to swish the food particles from your mouth.
Veronica Byrd, PAT and former OHK board member, demonstrated the sugary drink display to the home visitors. They were to guess which drink went with the jar filled with certain sugar amounts. We were impressed on how well they guessed correctly! They definitely know what they’re doing.

Home visitors had great questions and were excited to take the information back to their families. We appreciate the opportunity to visit with everyone and share what oral health resources they can give to their families.

Do you want to see what happens during an acid attack? Watch this video for an acid attack demonstration.
https://www.oralhealthkansas.org/AcidAttack.html

04/08/2026

National Public Health Week is celebrated April 6 – April 12. It’s a moment to celebrate the impact of public health and spotlight priority issues that can improve our nation’s well-being. During National Public Health Week, we recognize the vital role oral health plays in our overall well-being. Good oral health is essential to prevention, early detection, and improved quality of life, making it a key part of strong, healthy communities. When we have poor oral health, it contributes to many health issues in the rest of the body.

• Conditions like gum disease or periodontal disease can cause chronic inflammation, which has been linked to heart disease and stroke.
• Poor oral health is associated with conditions like diabetes, and the two can make each other worse.
• Bacteria from the mouth can be inhaled into the lungs, potentially leading to infections like pneumonia.
• Gum disease has been linked to premature birth and low birth weight.
• Painful teeth or missing teeth can make it difficult to eat a balanced diet, affecting overall nutrition.
• Oral health affects speech, confidence, and daily comfort. Individuals have reported not feeling confident when interviewing for jobs if their mouth and teeth are not healthy.

Our Tips and Tricks are fact sheets with information to help with these topics. View the webpage. https://www.oralhealthkansas.org/Consumers.html

Address

PO Box 4567
Topeka, KS
66604

Telephone

+17852356069

Website

http://ksdentalchampions.org/

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