Current Projects

Fluoride Varnish in Montana
Fluoride Varnish Information Sheet (PDF)
This past year we were fortunate to have Dr Charlie Czerepak DDS and Amos Deinard MD cover the central and eastern parts of our state showing us how to do Caries Risk Assessment and Fluoride Varnish Application to help us in dental caries prevention.  Through their hard work we received approval to use the Dental Code D1206 for Caries Risk Assessment and Fluoride Varnish Application.  It will be reimbursed at $28.16.  The patient must be <20 years of age (hopefully most of the kids we do this to will be under 1 year of age and will be finding their dental home shortly after that).  We will be reimbursed for doing a caries risk assessment and talking about prevention and in the MODERATE and HIGH RISK patients applying fluoride varnish. 

Those of you who were not able to attend these talks in March and April of 2008 can get DVD copies of the talks from Wendy Minster our ED, and you may get CME’s for that at the AAP website under the oral health area.  If you prefer to refer those HIGH RISK patients but are unable to find a dentist in your area, Jane Gillette DDS, PC 1-406-586-5880 has agreed to help you.  She has been working as liaison between the AAP and MT Dental Association.  She spoke at our annual meeting this year.  If after watching the video you would like a demonstration in your office, with your nurses, I would be happy to do that. 

This really, as you will see in the video with Dr Rencher DDS from Helena, is quite an easy process.  I  hope everyone gets talking about this and implementing it in their offices asap, as it is the right thing to do for our patients to decrease tooth decay.  In other states, like North Carolina, who have taken this approach and “talked the talk”, they have greatly decreased childhood caries. 

One fluoride varnish that Drs  Czerepak and Deinard used when here was Cavity Shield from Omni Pharmaceuticals and it has a brown color so that you can see where it was applied.  They had another varnish named Vanish also from Omni that comes in cherry and mint flavors and you didn’t see it on the teeth.  These both came in unit doses with applicators.  There are multiple other companies and varnishes out there but I am not familiar with their properties.  I have a more complete list if anyone is interested.  I also have a Fluoride Varnish Information Sheet with Risk Assessment and Consent Form on the back that you are welcome to copy and use in your office if you desire.

If you have questions please don’t hesitate to contact me at CMWMD@yahoo.com or 1-406-454-0145.

To many beautiful smiles across our great state,

Cathy White MD

Montana Nutrition and Physical Activity Program (NAPA)
www.montananapa.org
The Montana Nutrition and Physical Activity Program (NAPA) recently received a 5 year grant of over 4 million dollars from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for the purpose of preventing and controlling obesity in our state.  This group is housed at MSU in Bozeman.  The funding will support local county and tribal health departments in strengthening the obesity-prevention infrastructure in the state.  Specifically the grant has 4 main goals:

1. Improve the nutritional environment by improving the affordability of healthy foods. NAPA will be working with interested grocery store and restaurants (including children’s menus) to improve the availability, pricing, and promotion of fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods.
2. Increase breastfeeding rates by working with local hospitals to implement the UNICEF/WHO “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.”
3. Improving the built environment by working with city planners, developers, elected officials, and school personnel to make communities more conducive to walking and biking.
4. Improve availability of healthy foods and physical exercise on the worksite.

As a part of the this grant all Montana AAP members will be receiving free handouts/posters in the mail to promote Turn Off TV Week which is April 20-26, 2009.   Please post them in your office in April.  Check out www.montananapa.org to get details on this amazing opportunity for our state.