California Rural Indian Health Board (CRIHB) Secures $1.25M Grant to Promote Healthy Dental Habits Among Native Populations

Sacramento, CA, October 31, 2015 --(PR.com)-- The California Rural Indian Health Board (CRIHB) has secured a $1.25m award ($250,000 per year over the next five-years) from the Indian Health Service’s Dental Preventive and Clinical Support Centers (DSC) to promote better oral health among the native peoples of California.

The Program is designed to provide training, technical assistance, education and support to California tribal and urban dental professionals and to programs like Tribal Head Start/Early Head Start/Childcare centers to promote community and clinic based initiatives that will help reduce the prevalence of oral disease and Early Childhood Caries (ECC) among native populations in California. The primary goal is to build capacity and expand knowledge and skills among dental staff within tribal and urban dental clinics, enabling staff to implement oral disease prevention initiatives that will reduce the prevalence of periodontal disease and ECC.

CRIHB has been actively promoting well established prevention guidelines designed to reduce ECC and oral diseases (including periodontal disease) among tribal populations since 2007. A 2014 Oral Health Survey showed Native populations are 2.5 times more likely than the general population to experience both tooth decay and periodontal disease. More than 46% of 1-5 year olds and 83% of 6-9 year olds among California’s American Indian Alaskan Native (AIAN) population have already experienced tooth decay; among them, more than 57% have untreated decay which could lead to even greater health risks.

Lisa Elgin, Chair of the CRIHB Board of Directors, said “This grant will help CRIHB and the California DSC to continue to build on an established foundation to improve overall oral health as part of the Healthy People 2020 Health Objectives.” It will allow clinics to work with more patients in their tribal areas, while reducing barriers to treatment and disparities in oral health care that affect the more than 90,000 AIAN residents in California.

This IHS grant is specifically aimed to raise oral health awareness and increase access among the 109 recognized CA tribes through a network of 35 tribal and urban Indian Health Programs. The project aims to meet three goals: Increase access to dental care; increase the use of dental sealants (to protect teeth and gums); and, increase the use of topical fluoride among the CA AIAN population.

Dr. Mark LeBeau, CEO of CRIHB, states “It’s only through the support of our tribes, clinics and staff that we are able to secure grants like this, and make these programs possible. Our oral health program is a valuable service to the tribes in California; it is one of many programs that CRIHB makes available to assist tribes. Specifically, these programs and services will help to raise awareness of early childhood periodontal disease, and help do something about it.”

In 2010, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) showed that nearly 50% of US adults over the age of 30 have periodontal disease, and the prevalence may even be higher in AIAN populations. According to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), periodontal disease is “a major cause of tooth loss in adults and has an effect on nutrition and overall health.” This new initiative will augment existing CA DSC programs and Tribal/Urban health programs already raising oral health awareness, by implementing the IHS Periodontal Disease Initiative which will focuses on increasing access to diagnosis and treatment of periodontal diseases among patients who receive care at CA tribal and urban dental programs.

The California Rural Indian Health Board, Inc. (CRIHB) is a network of Tribal Health Programs, which are controlled and sanctioned by Indian people and their Tribal Governments. CRIHB is committed to the needs and interests that elevate and promote the health status and social conditions of the Indian People of California. CRIHB provides advocacy, shared resources, training and technical assistance that enhances the delivery of quality, comprehensive health related services.

For more information about CRIHB, visit www.crihb.org. Press inquiries: please contact Communications Specialist, Jeff Ziegler, by email: jeff.ziegler@crihb.org or phone: 916-929-9761 (extension 2005).

For further information about CRIHB's Dental Support Center, or its programs, please contact Lalani Ratnayake, Dental Support Center Coordinator, on 916-929-9761 (extension 1321).