When compared to the nation’s performance on 13 key oral health indicators, Oklahoma scores a D.

The 2023 Oklahoma Oral Health Report Card is a joint project of the Oklahoma Oral Health Coalition, the Delta Dental of Oklahoma Foundation, and the Oklahoma Primary Care Association.

Download

 2023 Oklahoma Oral Health Report Card (PDF)

2023 Sources

• Indicator 1
• Indicator 2
• Indicator 3
• Indicator 4
• Indicator 5
• Indicator 6
• Indicator 7
• Indicator 8
• Indicator 9
• Indicator 10
• Indicator 11
• Indicator 12
• Indicator 13

2023 Editors

Development:

Terrisa Singleton, MHHSA, BSBA
Director, Delta Dental of Oklahoma Foundation
Past Chair, Oklahoma Oral Health Coalition

Research:

Nicki Largent
Grant Programs Specialist
Delta Dental of Oklahoma Foundation

 

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When compared to the nation’s performance on 13 key oral health indicators, Oklahoma scores a D.

Oklahoma Oral Health Report Card 2020 (PDF)

Oral Health Forum Webinar Series

 

We created this report card to illustrate the gravity of the oral health problem in our state. Working together, we can improve these grades and the oral wellness of Oklahomans.

It is important to emphasize that this report card is merely a vehicle for discussion. It simply seeks to somehow quantify the oral health experience of various groups of Oklahomans and then to compare that to the national average in order to give us a framework for discussion.

It is not an ideal measure because the national average is a moving target. When our state’s grade improves, it indicates that other states’ grades have worsened, and that type of zero-sum game is not in the spirit of our true goal, which is for all Americans to enjoy good oral health.

If all states were to score a C on an indicator, it would indicate parity across the nation for that item. However, even that can be deceiving because in some cases the national average is lacking, indicating all the states are failing to the same degree.

With all that in mind, we humbly present our best effort at creating a document that will give us a starting place and way to measure progress as we all work together to move the needle on each of these key indicators.

Methodology

Page two of the PDF explains the methodology we used. One of the greatest challenges was the lack of statistics specific to Oklahoma, because Oklahoma conducts very little research on the subject of oral health. And, many of the studies from the CDC and other government agencies do not provide individual state statistics on their findings. This made it necessary for us to do our best to find relevant data sources that – to the greatest degree possible – compared apples to apples.

2020 Sources

Page three of the PDF links to the sources used for this document. However, over time, some of the data linked to will be updated. Therefore, we have provided static copies of the exact data used in the PDFs below.

• Indicator 1
• Indicator 2
• Indicator 3
• Indicator 4
• Indicator 5
• Indicator 6
• Indicator 7
• Indicator 8
• Indicator 9
• Indicator 10
• Indicator 11
• Indicator 12
• Indicator 13

 

 

2020 Editors

Development:
Terrisa Singleton, MHHSA, BSBA
Director, Delta Dental of Oklahoma Foundation
Secretary, Oklahoma Oral Health Coalition

Research:
Teri Bachhofer, BSEd
Education Specialist
Delta Dental of Oklahoma Foundation

2020 Contributors

Courtney Barrett, DDS
Mary Mahoney Memorial Health Center

Marsha Wilkes Beatty, BS, MPH
Assistant Professor of Research
Community Dentistry Division
University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry

Laurie Cunningham, RDH, Med
Associate Professor
Dental Hygiene Department
University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry

Tyler Dougherty MPH, CPH
TECPHI Program Manager
Southern Plains Tribal Health Board

Kay Floyd
Director
Oklahoma Head Start State Collaboration Office

Jennifer L. Han, PhD, CHES®
Director
Community Evaluation and Records Support
Oklahoma State Department of Health

Cassidy Heit, MPA
Director of Communications
Oklahoma Primary Care Association (OKPCA)

Rebecca L. Mahaney, MD, MPH
Grant Coordinator, OK Senior Smiles
Dental Health Service
Oklahoma State Department of Health

Chequita Owens, PhD
Research and Development Coordinator
Oklahoma Primary Care Association (OKPCA)

Lisa Pendarvis, MPH, PMP, PCMH CCE
Director of Programs
Oklahoma Primary Care Association (OKPCA)

Julie Seward, RDH, MEd
Oral Health Programs Manager
Southern Plains Tribal Health Board

Amrita Swamy, BDS, MPH
Dental Student
NYU College of Dentistry

Jana Winfree, DDS, MPH
State Dental Director
Oklahoma State Department of Health

Catherine Wong, MPH, Biostatistics
Graduate Research Assistant
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

 

Development and underwriting by Delta Dental of Oklahoma Foundation