Access to Oral Health Care:
We’re Making Great Strides

At the 2004 Access to Oral Health Conference, the NFED established three target strategies: 1) to develop and offer more programs and dental symposia to EDucate oral health professionals; 2) to establish strategically placed ectodermal dysplasia treatment centers across the country; and 3) to develop partnerships and collaborations with universities, industry and other interested parties and to stimulate new research related to the ectodermal dysplasia syndromes. We are excited to update you on how each strategy is developing.

Stategy 1
As part of our educational efforts this year, the NFED will send copies of Parameters of Oral Health Care for Individuals Affected by Ectodermal Dysplasia Syndromes to students at all of the dental schools in the USA. We are also in the planning stages to sponsor programs to educate dental professionals at the University of Birmingham, Alabama School of Dentistry and the University of Nebraska School of Dentistry.

Stategy 2
We have successfully recruited several dental schools across the U.S. to join the NFED Dental Implant Program. By establishing these dental treatment sites, NFED families have increased access to quality, affordable dental care. We are also collaborating with private dental providers to improve access to care. See the related story in this newsletter for more information on the dental implant program.

Stategy 3
The NFED’s partnerships with corporations continue to flourish in 2007. Straumann Corporation donated dental implants to individuals affected by ectodermal dysplasia syndromes and contributed $25,000. Astra Tech also donated implants for our families and is contributing $7,500 to help our dental educational efforts. 3i continues to donate implants to the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine for NFED families.

New dental research related to the ectodermal dysplasia syndromes is desperately needed and the NFED is strongly committed to making it happen. We continue to collect oral health data at the National Family Conferences. The Treatment Assistance Program application process will be revised to help collect additional information. This data will be used to more accurately describe the dental manifestations of ectodermal dysplasia patients and to establish outcome-based treatment strategies. We continue to encourage dental professionals to submit proposals related to ectodermal dysplasia syndromes to the Research Program for funding.