Amy Brock-Martin, DrPH

Deputy Director, South Carolina Rural Health Research Center

Phone: 803.251.6317
Fax: 803.251.6399
E-mail: brocka@gwm.sc.edu

University of South Carolina
220 Stoneridge Drive, Suite 204
Columbia, SC 29210

Current Projects

Analysis of State Dental Hygiene Practice Acts and Medicaid Policies for Children’s Dental Care: Services Covered and Practitioners Reimbursed
Research center: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Children, Dental health, Health disparities, Maternal and child health, Medicaid and S-CHIP
The purpose of this qualitative analysis will be to obtain a clear picture of the degree to which (1) state SCHIP and Medicaid programs are implementing waivers, or other programs, to improve access to dental care for vulnerable populations including children and pregnant women; and (2) dental hygienists impact the dental safety net for rural America.

Dental Sealant Utilization among Rural and Urban Children
Research center: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Children, Dental health
Dental sealants can prevent or reduce dental caries among children, but only about a third of children currently have sealants. This project will explore the dissemination of sealants among rural children, identifying characteristics of children and communities with low sealant use.

Completed Projects

Chartbook: Oral Health and Unmet Needs for Dental Care Among Children , Lead researcher
Research center: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Children, Dental health, Health disparities, Rural statistics and demographics
This study will characterize oral health status, dental care utilization, and unmet dental care needs among U.S. children by urban/rural residence. It will provide a descriptive analysis, using cross-sectional data from the 2003 National Survey of Children’s Health.

Publications

• Chartbook: Dental Health and Access to Care among Rural Children: A National and State Portrait (Executive Summary)
  Author(s): Amy Brock Martin, Eric Wang, Janice Probst, Nathan Hale, and Andrew Johnson
  Research center: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Children, Dental health, Health disparities, Rural statistics and demographics
  Date: 03 / 2008
  Although children's dental health in the U.S. has improved over recent decades, a subset of children continues to suffer dental disease severe enough to constitute a public health problem. This Chartbook examines dental health status, use of preventive services, and dental insurance among rural and urban children. The Chartbook provides information specific to rural children, and in particular rural minority children, not available in similar detail from other sources. This information can be used at the state level for program planning and assessment.

  A copy of the full report is available through the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center's Online Report Request System at http://rhr.sph.sc.edu/request.htm. You may elect to receive a paper or an electronic copy of the full report. Generally, the requested report will be sent to you via postal mail (paper copy) or email (electronic copy) within one working day.