Regional Oral Health Summit to Be Held

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 9, 2010) − The Regional Oral Health Summit will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (CDT), June 18 at Madisonville Community College's Health Tech Campus at Byrne auditorium, 750 N. Laffoon Drive in Madisonville. The summit is sponsored by the Western Kentucky Regional Dental Coalition, West Central Dental Society, Trover Health System, West Area Health Education Center (AHEC) and the University of Kentucky Center for Rural Health-Madisonville.

The summit is being held for dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, nurses, pediatricians, primary care providers, family youth service center providers, teachers, health department professionals, and any other interested professionals.

"Involvement by the Center for Rural Health in Madisonville in the Regional Oral Health Summit is yet another way to begin the address the rural health care needs in the Commonwealth," said Dr. Emery A. Wilson, interim dean, UK College of Medicine, and director, Office of Health Research and Development (OHRD).

The summit will include a Kentucky dental update by Julie Watts McKeen, state dental director and oral health program administrator, Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department of Public Healt,h and Pamela Stein, associate professor of anatomy and neurobiology, UK College of Medicine, will speak on oral health literacy.

In addition, breakout sessions will be held on a variety of topics including school dental outreach, family oral health education and prenatal care to improve oral health literacy.

The early bird registration fee is $20 due by June 9; the fee is $30 after that date. Both fees include a box lunch and continuing medical education credits.

To register, go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/oralhealthsummit. For more information, contact Natalie Begley, coordinator, UK Center for Rural Health-Madisonville at (270) 824-3436 or nbegley@trover.org.