An abundance of rain didn’t stop local support of a recent West Virginia Oral Health State Plan Development Forum (WVOHSPF) held on October 15, 2009, at the Logan Area Public Library. Logan County was one of nine West Virginia counties chosen by a state oral health advisory board to serve as a platform of guidance and direction. Fifty-two local citizens and agency representatives were on hand to discuss what a W.Va. State Oral Health Plan needs to consist of regarding the oral health care needs of W.Va. citizens.

The forum opened with introductions and a Mission of Mercy (MOM) video presentation given by Robert C. Byrd Center for Rural Health's Community Oral Health Coordinator, Bobbi Jo Muto, RDH, BS. Muto immediately gained the attention of participants with a startling statistic that “Approximately 52 percent of West Virginians are without any of their natural teeth. MOM is a program that helps people of all ages and backgrounds get needed oral health care. A MOM project takes resources and multiple volunteers to even take place in an area of need. It is only a band-aid on the real problem. Real change has to come from policy change on all levels; national, state and local.”

Muto mentioned that each WVOHSP Forum is supported with grant funds provided by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation given to focus on oral health in WV. Muto informed that, “We need to develop a state oral health plan. West Virginia could have had access to $250,000 per year for 5 years, but WV did not have a state oral health plan in place. We really need to be embarrassed that people in the United States have to stand in long lines for oral health care needs at programs like MOM. Partnerships are what we need to not only develop a state plan, but also to make sure it is successful.”

Lisa Haddox, DDS with Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College’s Dental Hygiene program attended the forum, along with seven of her students. Haddox recommended that, “Nurses and physicians really need to send patients to dentists/oral hygienists if they recognize or suspect that oral health care is needed.”

Half-way through the forum, Muto introduced special speaker, David Walker, DDS. Walker currently serves on the state oral health plan advisory board. Walker’s credentials include: Marshall and WVU University graduate, one of the founders of Health-Rite and the soon to be State President of the WV Dental Association.

“We have 800 dentists in West Virginia, Logan County has four," Walker said. "We need credible data to take to the senators, delegates and other representatives to obtain funding. When we have a state dental plan, we can create an infrastructure, a strong collaborative including everybody. We must also educate about oral health topics. Mountain Dew is probably one of the most troublesome beverages that affect the teeth in young West Virginians. Don’t do the DEW!”

Forum participants contributed the following barriers that make oral health care inaccessible to Logan County Citizens: People can’t afford the deductible for dental care; lack of transportation to the dental office for care; the working poor can’t have their needs met; senior citizens and the disabled are not afforded dental care under Medicare; and parents should take more responsibility for their children’s oral health care (grandparents often have to assume the primary role as caregiver, they often don’t know how to teach good oral health practices).

The state plan is being developed in accordance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines using the document, Establish Goals and Objects materials that include: Identify the key issues and existing resources; provide surveillance; establish the goals and objectives; provide a vision; and develop strategies for meeting the goals.

“A plan that includes these things will help to straighten out the driving in circles that we are currently doing and have all interested parties heading in the same direction in a collaborative effort. It is going to be just like a roadmap that changes over time," Walker said. "A state dental plan document is a living document, evolving.”

The Logan County forum was sponsored and supported by the following: WV Oral Health Plan Advisory Board, Marshal University WV School Health Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center, WVDHHR OMCFH Children's Dentistry Program, Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, P.R.I.D.E. in Logan County, Inc. Aging Program, UMWA Health and Retirement Funds and the Logan County Family Resource Network (FRN). For more information, contact Vicky Browning, PRIDE Aging Director, at 304-752-6868 or Shannon Meade, FRN Coordinator, at 304-752-9536.