Mr. Fagan of Taunton, Ms. Flanagan of Leominster, Mr. Donato of Medford,

Mr. O’Day of West Boylston, Mr. DiNatale of Fitchburg, Ms. Gobi of Spencer, and Mr. Greene of Billerica, move that the bill be amended, in Section 2, in item 4512-0500 by striking out the figure $1,644,640 and inserting in place thereof the figure, $2,369,640;

and by adding the following sections:-

SECTION. Section 25J (a)  In order to improve, promote and protect the oral health of all residents of the Commonwealth, a full-time dental director shall be located in the Office of MassHealth and shall work collaboratively with the department of public health to facilitate integration of programs to improve oral health. The director shall be funded through an interagency agreement between the executive office of health and human services and the department of public health.

(b) The full-time dental director shall be a Massachusetts licensed dentist with public health experience and shall oversee the MassHealth dental program and work in collaboration with the office of oral health within the Massachusetts department of public health on dental public health programs for MassHealth recipients to increase access, oral health prevention activities, and other initiatives to address oral health disparities, including but not limited to workforce shortages.

Section 1 (a)  The Department of Public Health shall have an office of oral health with responsibility for the following, though not limited to, oral public health activities:

(1)  Provide recommendations and guidance to the department and other state   departments, agencies, community providers, the legislature and others for preventing oral diseases of all Massachusetts residents and for improving, promoting and protecting the oral health of state residents with a focus on underserved populations and reducing oral health disparities;

(2)   Surveillance, study and appraisal of the state's oral health needs and resources;

(3)   Foster the development, expansion and evaluation of oral health services for residents of the state in collaboration with key state partners, including but not limited to other executive office of health and human services agencies and departments, including but not limited to MassHealth, department of youth services; department of social services; department of mental retardation, department of mental health and the executive office of elderly affairs; board of registration in dentistry; and other public agencies including but not limited to department of education and department of early education and care;

(4)   Provide information and education concerning oral health to the dental and health community and public;

(5)   Promote and provide technical assistance, monitoring and evaluation of population-based dental programs, such as community water fluoridation and school prevention programs and mobile and portable dental programs, as well as other programs to improve access to services;

(6)   Policy development to promote the public's oral health; and

(7)   Other related programs, policies and preventive measures that impact oral health.

SECTION 25K.  The office of oral health shall evaluate programs and develop quality assurance activities, including but not limited to, an update on progress to date on the recommendations of the 2000 report of the special legislative commission on oral health.  The update shall be delivered to the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on public health on or before May 1, 2008.