| June
9 , 2003
Little Rock— The
Second Annual Governor’s Oral Health Summit showcases
the connection between oral health and overall health.
The conference will bring together dental
professionals, medical professionals, legislators and
advocates interested in optimum health for all
Arkansans. Also
featured this year is the Arkansas “Body Walk”
exhibit. Body Walk is an interactive, traveling
exhibit that takes school children on a tour of the
body, explaining how the body functions and how our
personal decisions affect our health.
The first exhibit in Body Walk takes the students
into the mouth where they learn the importance of water
fluoridation, dental sealants and oral hygiene. As the students move through the body, other exhibits explain
the heart, lungs, digestive system, brain, bones, and
muscles.
The
summit, to be held in Dickinson Auditorium on the UALR
campus on Saturday, June 14, is sponsored by the
Arkansas Department of Health Office of Oral Health and
the Arkansas Oral Health Coalition.
The Coalition’s slogan is “SMILES:
AR, U.S.”
The
theme of this year’s conference is Oral Health and
General Health: Aren’t
They the Same Thing?”
According to Dr. Lynn Mouden, Director of the
Office of Oral Health, “For decades, people have
segregated oral health from overall health, when in fact
they are inseparable.
It is unfortunate that even our health insurance
system thinks that dental health is somehow less
important that the health of any other part of the body.
Speakers
include Dr. Marjorie Jeffcoat, Dean of the University of
Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and Editor of the
Journal of the American Dental Association.
Dr. Jeffcoat, a periodontist, will discuss the
proven connections between periodontal (gum) disease and
premature, low birth weight babies.
Dr.
Michael Wahl of Wilmington, Delaware will speak on the
medical, clinical and legal issues of dental amalgam
fillings, and Dr. Ed Kendrick of Kansas City, Missouri
will showcase the Missouri Dental
Association
“BOCA” program, Bringing Oral Care to Allies, and
discuss how dental and medical professionals work
together for optimum health.
Oral health affects such health outcomes as
diabetes, cardiovascular disease and reproductive
health.
The
Body Walk exhibit is on loan from the Missouri
Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Health. In a joint effort between the University of Arkansas
Cooperative Extension Service and the Arkansas Oral
Health Coalition. Cooperative
Extension is purchasing a Body Walk exhibit for Arkansas
that will soon begin traveling the state to educate
students on the importance of health and nutrition. According to Dr. Lynn Russell of the Cooperative Extension
Service, “
NOTE
TO MEDIA: A
news conference to introduce the Body Walk exhibit will
be held at Donaghey Student Center on the UALR campus at
11:00 AM on June 14, 2003.
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