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We regret that we cannot accept any more registrations. Because of popular demand, we are unable to accommodate more attendees.
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introduction
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specific aims
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goals and outcomes
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program highlights
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schedule
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location
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hotel
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price
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for more information
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sponsors
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> introduction

Disparities in oral health and access to dental care among older Americans will become more critical with the aging of the 76 million baby boomers—a generation who will begin to retire in 2011. The greatest percentage increases within the oldest age groups will occur among minorities. However, minority elders have not shared in the gains in oral health status and access to care seen in other populations.

While increases in demand have occurred, many older Americans, particularly the less educated, the poor, and the uninsured, do not have access to care. Emerging data suggest that such disparities in access may be exacerbated by low health literacy, limiting patients’ ability to participate fully in the process of care.


> specific aims

  • Systematically review national data on access to dental care among community-dwelling, frail, and institutionalized elderly.
  • Examine what we know and what we need to know about the determinants of access to dental care and oral health, particularly health literacy, among the elderly.
  • Critically examine disparities in oral health and access to dental care among the poor and racial and ethnic minorities.
  • Compare access to dental care in the U.S. to access in other developed nations with aging populations.
  • Systematically review the financing of dental care for the elderly, including the frail, the poor, and racial groups in the U.S. and around the world.
  • Describe what we know and need to know about improving access to oral health care for elders, including a variety of financing options:
    • extending dental insurance into retirement;
    • prepaid dental insurance plans for retirement;
    • HMO models: the First Seniority Experience;
    • development of statewide Elders’ Oral Health Insurance PrograMS to provide basic care for the poor and near poor, similar to the state Children’s Health Insurance PrograMS; and
    • development of an optional Part “D” (for “dental”) in Medicare, similar to the optional Part B for physicians’ services for elders and the disabled.
  • Identify gaps in the knowledge base on access to dental care that are amenable to further research.

> goals and outcomes

  • Develop a research agenda. What do we still need to know about disparities in oral health and access to oral health care for the elderly? This will be a cross-cutting theme of all plenary speakers and break-out session leaders. Summaries of the research agenda will be submitted to professional journals and consumer publications.
  • Publish findings in the Journal of Dental Education detailing what we know and what we need to know about disparities in oral health and access to dental care. This includes models for financing dental care for the elderly, particularly the poor, minorities, the frail, the homebound, and the institutionalized.
  • Plan implementation. All plenary speakers, breakout session leaders, and panel participants will make specific recommendations to improve access to care among older Americans. These recommendations will be collected, collated, distributed to the planning committee and the advisory group, and published with the manuscripts and in consumer publications.

> program highlights

plenary sessions

  • Financing elders’ dental care in the United States
    Judith Jones, DDS, MPH, DScD
  • Improving access in vulnerable elders
    Ronald E. Inge, DDS
  • U.S. national data on access to dental care
    Teresa Dolan, DDS, MPH
  • Determinants of utilization
    Asuman Kiyak, MA, PhD
  • Health literacy in achieving oral health
    Rima Rudd, MSph, ScD
  • Comparing access and financing in the United States with European nations
    Poul Holm-Pedersen, DDS, PhD
  • Racial disparities in access and outcomes
    Nancy R. Kressin, PhD
  • Racial and socioeconomic differences in health
    Gregg H. Gilbert, DDS, MBA, FAAHD
    The importance of a plan for elders’ oral health
    Caswell Evans, DDS, MPH
  • Elders’ oral health needs: the Boston experience
    Michael Ross, Boston City Councilman
  • Financing options: the benefits manager’s perspective
    Helena Rubinstein, JD, MA, MPH
  • John Brouder: Boston Benefits Partners
  • Economic constraints to expanding coverage
    Mark Prashker, MD, MPH

panel and group discussion
what do we still need to know?

  • Denise Fedele, DMD, MPH, moderator
  • Dushanka Kleinman, DDS, MSD, Assistant Surgeon General, Chief Dental Officer, U.S. Public Health Service
  • Alice Horowitz, PhD, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research: How essential is health literacy?
  • Laurie Young, PhD, Executive Director, Older Women’s League: The grassroots perspective: Medicare benefits
  • Conan Davis, DDS, Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services: Are Medicare and Medicaid really options?
  • Ronald E. Inge, DDS, American Dental Association
  • Bettie McKaig, DDS, MPH, Private Dental Practice
  • Gregory Stoute, DMD, MPH, National Dental Association
  • Gustavo Cruz, DMD, MPH, Hispanic Dental Association
  • Helena Gallant Tripp, RDH, American Dental Hygienists’ Association
  • William Maas, DDS, MPH, Director, Division of Oral Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

    breakout sessions

  • Prepaid dental insurance plans for retirement
    Max Anderson, DDS, MS, med
  • HMO models
    Rob Compton, DDS, Delta Dental
  • Developing statewide elders’ oral health insurance prograMS
    Stephen Eklund, DDS, drph
  • Developing optional Part “D(ental)” for Medicare
    Richard Manski, DDS, mba, PhD
  • Oral health literacy
    Alice Horowitz, PhD
  • Military TriCare and AARP prograMS
    Lowell Daun, DDS
  • Employer-based insurance prograMS
    Cathye Smithwick, RDH, MA

> schedule

monday, september 13

  • Morning: breakfast followed by plenary sessions
  • Lunch
  • Afternoon: plenary sessions and breakout sessions
  • Dinner (optional, extra charge of $65)

tuesday, september 14

  • Morning: breakfast followed by report from breakout sessions
  • Midmorning: plenary sessions
  • Lunch
  • Afternoon: panel and group discussion

> location

All activites except for the optional Monday night dinner (location TBA) are at:

The Executive Leadership Center
Boston University School of Management
595 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston

Parking is limited; attendees are encouraged to use public transportation.

> hotel

We have reserved a block of rooMS at the Omni Parker House. Please contact the hotel and mention “Boston University School of Dental Medicine”by August 16 to receive a special rate of $189 per night plus tax. Parking is $35 per day.

Omni Parker House
60 School Street, Boston, 617/227-8600 www.omniparkerhouse.com

> price

$175 includes the conference, breakfast, and lunch both days. Dinner on Monday night is optional for an extra charge of $65.

Cancellations received by August 13, 2004, will be refunded minus a $50 processing fee. We regret that we cannot make a refund after August 13.

Participants will receive 14 CEUs.

> for more information

Contact Carolyn Wehler, RDH, MPH, 781/687-2856 or cwehler@bu.edu.

> sponsors

This conference is made possible through the support of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institute on Aging, the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women's Health, GlaxoSmithKline, Dentsply International, and Brasseler USA.

We also thank the Wisconsin Geriatric Education Center for linking to our website.