Oral Health Program Coordinator Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Helena, Montana, United States
Full Description: Oral health (OH) is an essential component of physical, social, and mental development. In the 2017-2018 school year, 62% of third grade children in Montana (MT) had experienced tooth decay and almost 15% had untreated tooth decay. The MT Department of Public Health and Human Services OH Program is awarded HRSA Grants to States to Support OH Workforce Activities to complete the Montana Innovations in Prevention (MIP) workplan. MIP goals that support MCH population include bringing oral prevention activities to children in their communities and enhancing OH workforce activities that support establishment of a dental home. Partnerships have been formed with University of Washington School of Dentistry (UWSOD), Montana State University College of Nursing (MSUCON), and Caring Foundation of Montana (CFMT) to accomplish these goals.
The aim of the partnership with UWSOD is to improve access to OH care through delivery of community-based experiential training programs with a focus on vulnerable pediatric populations. UWSOD has established a network of 17 rotation sites in various high-need areas of MT. Since September 2018, UWSOD has facilitated 38 clinical rotations in MT. Prior to rotations, students complete learning modules on topics related to the pediatric population including obesity prevention and children with special healthcare needs.
MSUCON has successfully implemented an OH program with the Northern Cheyenne Nation Head Start (HS). An interprofessional team of dental professionals and nursing students visit the Northern Cheyenne Nation HS to provide preventative services within the classroom setting. Nursing students gain experience in identifying OH conditions, applying fluoride varnish, nutritional counseling, and participating in case-management. Dental hygienists provide cleanings, preventative sealants, silver diamine fluoride, and collaborative teledentistry exams.
CFMT has piloted the integration of preventive OH services in mobile health clinics. The purpose of this project is to promote prevention and increase capacity for community-based care. CFMT partners with Smiles Across Montana (SAM), a mobile dentistry non-profit organization, to facilitate the offering of OH services. SAM has a network of 14 dental hygienists throughout MT to provide preventative OH services and 5 supervising dentists to conduct assessments either in-person or via teledentistry. OH services have been offered in 31 mobile clinic locations including HS, WIC, and tribal health facilities.
These activities not only directly support the MCH population but explore innovative approaches to OH workforce development. The highlighted models demonstrate potential as best practices to improve OH of the MCH population. By reflecting on the past, MT has identified innovative workforce models with the potential to better shape our future.
Source of
Funding: HRSA Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities Grant No. T12HP30538.
Abbreviated Description: Oral health (OH) is an essential component of physical, social, and mental development. In the 2017-2018 school year, 62% of third grade children in Montana (MT) had experienced tooth decay and almost 15% had untreated tooth decay. The MT Department of Public Health and Human Services OH Program is awarded HRSA Grants to States to Support OH Workforce Activities to complete the Montana Innovations in Prevention (MIP) workplan. MIP goals that support MCH population include bringing oral prevention activities to children in their communities and enhancing OH workforce activities that support establishment of a dental home. Highlighted OH workforce models include dental student rotations, interprofessional collaboration to provide OH services, and OH services in mobile health clinics.
