With the launch of the National Oral Health Data Portal, dentists and public health professionals have a reason to smile a little brighter.

The portal is a project of the Association for State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD), made possible through funding from pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline and a $100,000 investment from Delta Dental of Michigan.

The first of its kind, the National Oral Health Data Portal pulls together data that reflect various dimensions of dental health, including information about health behaviors and access to care. One can find out information about the number of dentists serving specific geographic populations across the country, how many adults visit dentists annually in each state, and so much more. The data can further be broken down by demographic information, such as age, ethnicity, and educational attainment of patients.

John O’Malley, with Delta Dental of Michigan’s population health and utilization department and a doctoral student at the University of Michigan, headed up this project.

“The state of oral health from the county level up to the national level has been a black hole,” he said. “After two years of building this portal out, we’re glad that the data is consolidated into one place where it can be easily accessed by health departments, community health coalitions and providers.”

The portal allows health departments and advocates to get a holistic view of the state of oral health for populations, identify crucial disparities, and implement targeted interventions.

At the annual ASTDD conference in Fort Worth, Texas this April, John was presented with the prestigious President’s Award for his contributions to this important project.

Left: Delta Dental of Michigan’s John O’Malley with Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Oral Health Program Director Chris Farrell.