Participants should be aware of the following financial/non-financial relationships: . Katharine Martinez, MPH, RDH: Disclosure information not submitted.. Russ Dunkel: Disclosure information not submitted.
Session Description: Oral health is often overlooked and rarely incorporated in a hospital setting. Many, if not most, nurses and medical providers do not feel as though their education prepared them for the complexity of the oral cavity and how it affects the treatment outcomes of their patient. In a hospital setting, proper oral health is essential to providing the best quality of care and improving outcomes for patients. The oral health educator pilot program created in 2019 with the funding and support of Delta Dental of Arizona (DDAZ) has paved the way integrating an oral health professional into a hospital setting and demonstrating how their expertise can exponentially improve patients’ oral health.
Learning Objectives:
Describe the role of the oral health specialist and how they can work in a multidisciplinary team setting.
Define what a hospital aquired infection (HAI) is and describe how an oral health specialist can help reduce the incidence of these infections from occuring.
Identify oral health gaps in a hospital setting and how an oral health specialist can close the gap.
