Image: Sawtooth Mountain Clinic Oral Health Task Force

By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Communtiy Media - November 22, 2024


The Sawtooth Mountain Clinic’s Oral Health Task Force (OHTF) has been honored with the 2024 Minnesota Rural Health Team Award, presented by The Minnesota Rural Health Association, the Duluth-based National Rural Health Resource Center, and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Office of Rural Health and Primary Care. The Awards are given to "dedicated healthcare professionals or organizations who have made significant contributions to the health and well-being of their rural communities as part of Rural Health Day in Minnesota, which is the third Thursday in November," according to a release from MDH.

The OHTF was selected for the 2024 Rural Health Team Award for "its work in providing access to high-quality, patient-centered oral care to all persons throughout its service area of Cook County and the Anishinaabe Nation of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Sawtooth Mountain Clinic is dedicated to strengthening the link between medical and oral health," the MDH release said.

Harry Bowman from the MDH Health Systems Bureau told Boreal Community Media that the Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC) selects award nominees annually based on nominations from stakeholders and an evaluation process.

The OHTF was created in 2012 to try to fill the need for accessibility to not only dental care but also affordable dental care. According to a release from the OHTF, Grand Marais Family Dentistry owner Dr. Alyssa Hedstrom, DDS, and then Vice President of the North Shore Health Care Foundation, Paul Nelson, had similar incidents observing children who were in need of dental care but didn't have access to it. Dr. Hedstrom had a child tell her, “I know my teeth are rotten, but my parents can’t afford to get them fixed.” Nelson came across a child at school experiencing severe tooth pain but only had access to the hospital ER for painkillers. The two were determined to create something to address the dental education, accessibility, and affordability needs in Cook County and Grand Portage. In 2020, the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic adopted the program in order to "make dental care in Cook County sustainable and to strengthen the link between medical and oral health."

Today, the OHTF consists of nine medical, dental, social services, and educational volunteers from various fields, including medicine, dentistry, social services, and education. They meet monthly to evaluate the program's effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.

The Task Force provides dental care services to 750 children in the area. This includes free preventive dental care and covers up to 90% of the cost of restorative dental procedures. Since its inception, the program has expanded to include coverage of up to 90% of restorative costs for young adults, expectant mothers, and those aged 65 years or older.

To promote oral health education and prevention, the OHTF collaborates with local schools, childcare centers, and community programs such as ECFE, Head Start, and WIC. They conduct oral screenings and provide transportation assistance through gas cards for dental care. Three task force members, Jennifer Sorenson, Director of Grand Portage Health Services, Educator Shannon Redbrook from the Kina Native American program at the University of Minnesota Duluth Medical School, and Oral Health Task Force Educator and Hygienist Bonnie Dalin, have teamed up to work with the Oshki Ogimaag Charter School and Grand Portage Head Start program to expand dental education and preventative care through monthly lessons in class and comic books in English and Ojibwe. 

The OHTF purchased a portable X-ray machine to allow Dr. Hedstrom to conduct dental exams in Grand Portage, and it has created a scholarship to help train a dental assistant from the Reservation.

The statistics show the organization's efforts. While the average cavity rate for Minnesota children is 55%, the rate among children in Cook County and Grand Portage is 7.6%. The rate for Cook County ISD 166 students is 4.7%.

The organization will be honored at the 2025 Minnesota Rural Health Conference at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) in June 2025. 


To learn more about the Oral Health Task Force, visit the website here.