NPC News Bulletin    

 June 2, 2000              Issue 8               a project of the National Parent Network on Disabilities

Each issue of the NPC News Bulletin features a different theme and highlights Consortium activities and maternal and child health, as well as other health-related information for families. This issue focuses on
 Oral health.
We invite you to visit the National Parent Consortium website to learn more about who we are and what we do.


NPC Member Organizations:

 Alliance for Children
 and Families

 Alliance To End Childhood
 Lead Poisoning

 The ASPIRA Association, Inc.

 Brain Injury Association, Inc.

Children and Adults with
 Attention Deficit Disorder

Family Support America

 Families USA

 Family Voices

 Federation of Families for 
Children's Mental Health

 Head Start Resource and
 Training Center

 Immune Deficiency Foundation

Institute for Family-
Centered Care

 La Leche League International

 National Center for Education  in Maternal and Child Health

National Coalition for Parent 
Involvement in Education

 National Coalition of 
Title I 
Chapter 1 Parents

 National Congress of
 American Indians

 National Council of 
La Raza

National Family for the 
Advancement of Minorities 
with Disabilities

National Head Start 
Association

 National Lekotek Center

 National Organization on
 Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

 National Parent Network 
on Disabilities

 The National PTA

 National Safety Council 
Environmental Health Center

 Specialized Training of 
Military Parents

 

The Face Of A Child

          The Surgeon General views the oral health of children as a significant public health issue. "The Face of a Child:" the Surgeon General's Conference on Children and Oral Health, will be held on June 12-13, 2000 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Washington, D.C. Children's oral health is an important but often forgotten part of their health and well-being. 'The Face of a Child" will tell the story of children's health by considering their oral health and by highlighting key policy issues related to equity, access, and disparities in health outcomes. The conference will consider the relationship between oral health and general health and well-being in the light of new scientific knowledge and in the context of children's lives. 
     The conference goals are to:

  •  Highlight findings of the Surgeon General's Report on Oral Health

  •  Increase appreciation of the importance of oral health to overall health and well-being, and of the need to integrate oral health into policy, research, professional training, and medical care for children

  • Engage the child health and welfare community and the public in a discussion of ethical, legal, historical, and policy issues underlying all areas of children's health 

  • Promote effective community partnerships and coalitions to eliminate disparities in children's oral health

     The conference will consider many themes and topics related to the goals listed above: Oral health as an indicator of children's social and health problems; Ensuring a healthy start for children by including oral health in overall health; Ethics, laws, and health policies as tools to improve children's health; and Effective partnerships that eliminate disparities and improve children's health.
     Presentations for and by parents at the Surgeon General's Conference include: Linda Shepard, President of NPND, will moderate a panel discussion on "Parents as Advocates;" Sue Swenson, Commissioner, Administration on Developmental Disabilities, will present the "Parents' Perspective on Access to Oral Health Care," and Jackie Golden of NPND will present "Oral Health Recommendations from the NPC."
     More information on the conference, along with the Press Release and  Executive Summary of the U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Oral Health is available on the Surgeon General's website at: http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/sgr/oralhealth.htm 


Parent's Perspectives on Oral Health

     The National Parent Consortium is organizing a parent' Pre-conference on oral health as part of the Surgeon General's Conference on Oral Health. The pre-conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, June 11, 2000, from 12:30 to 5:00PM with a light reception immediately following. The goal of the pre-conference is to make sure that parents' voices are heard and their expectations make a contribution to national planning and policy making on problems of children's oral health in America. Parents will review findings of the Surgeon General's Report on Children and Oral Health and provide input to a report on parents' perspectives on children's oral health that will be presented at the Surgeon General's Conference by Jackie Golden on Tuesday, June 13th.
     The NPC pre-conference will provide an excellent opportunity for parents, professionals and NPC organization leaders to ensure parental input into national planning and resource allocation on one of the nation's most important health care problems. Millions of American children and adults do not have sufficient access to oral health services that can prevent cavities, periodontal disease and other oral diseases, and the pain, disabilities, and social costs that go along with untreated dental problems. Too many American children live with debilitating, untreated tooth pain. Parents' input is crucial to making good use of the professional expertise that will be gathered together for the Surgeon General's Conference on Oral Health. Experience has shown that parental input can make a great contribution to policy and planning events like this conference where many professionals and experts convene and try to work out a coherent approach to policy. Parent views can keep the experts anchored in the reality that parents and children actually experience, and make their professional experience more useful for individuals and families.
     We invite any local parents and professionals to join us on Sunday for the NPC Parent's Pre- Conference. Please contact the NPND offices at: 202-463-2299 to register and for more information. You may also send an e-mail to: npcmch@cs.net . We will provide an overview on both conferences in a future issue of the NPC News Bulletin.