This is a request for co-funding of a two day conference titled """"""""Closing the Gap in Oral Health Disparities Affecting Hispanics: Strategies for a National Oral Health Plan"""""""". This conference will be conducted in conjunction with the 10th Annual Meeting of the Hispanic Dental Association (HDA). It is a follow up to last year's NIDCR's sponsored conference: """"""""Oral Health Disparities and the Hispanic Population: A Framework for Action in Response to the Surgeon General's Report"""""""". The overarching aim of this conference is to present and further develop specific strategies and action plans to reduce disparities in oral health affecting the Hispanic population in the US. The conference will consist of five major themes: 1) Keynote Speech (Dr. Dushanka V. Kleinman): the National Oral Health Plan; 2) Health Communications/Health Literacy: Delivering the Message; 3) Integration of Oral Health Care into Primary Care; 4) Legislative Measures to Close the Gap; 5) Advances in Craniofacial and Oral Health Disease Prevention and Treatment. Based on last year's meeting and in follow up meetings of the HDA Board of Trustees, this conference will focus on strategies that were deemed to be of utmost importance to eliminate oral health disparities in the Hispanic population: 1) partner with governmental agencies in the development of the National Oral Health Plan; 2) invest and promote the development, testing and implementation of health literacy programs; 3) advocate for the integration of oral health care into primary care, 4) develop legislation and advocate for measures to increase access to care and 5) disseminate research findings that can help prevent and treat oral health conditions more effectively. The HDA endeavors to foster partnerships with other Hispanic health care organizations, the NIDCR and other governmental agencies as well as policy makers to help eliminate disparities in oral health among the Hispanic population in the US. It is expected that the conference will have the following outcomes: a) energize and motivate the HDA membership to utilize the presented strategies to advocate, legislate, educate, develop research strategies and utilize clinical findings to close the gap in oral health disparities among the US Hispanic population; b) disseminate the findings and discussion by publishing the proceedings in a peer reviewed journal and c) the formation of workgroup composed of private practitioners, educators, researchers and students that will develop in collaboration with other agencies and organizations, the National Oral Health Plan and other similar planning documents. This conference will support the NIDCR Strategic Plan to Eliminate Craniofacial, Oral and Dental Health Disparities as well as the HDA mission: to provide leadership and represent oral health professionals who share a common commitment to improve the oral health of the Hispanic community.
