88 - Dental School-Based, Non-Urgent Needs Approach to Re-establishing Long-term Oral Healthcare for Veterans

Abstract:

Objective: To increase long-term access to dental care for Veterans through a dental school outreach event that focused on understanding barriers to care, increasing patient awareness of oral health and dental coverage options, and facilitating connections between patients and student providers.

Methods: The Give Veterans a Smile Day (GVAS) was funded by the Harvard COOP Grant and planned by a team of dental students with faculty support at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. A single-day event with student dentists providing no-cost dental exams, x-rays, treatment plans, and cleanings was held in 2021 and 2022. Representatives from Veterans Affairs and Healthcare for All helped patients understand dental coverage options. Written surveys, verbal interviews, and chart reviews provided data on patients’ dental needs and experiences accessing dental care.

Results: Over two outreach events, 44 patients were cared for by student providers. According to survey results, 62% of patients were unable or delayed in accessing dental care in the previous year, with cost and lack of dental coverage being the most reported barriers to receiving care.

Conclusions: The Give Veterans a Smile event demonstrates the ability of a student-led intervention to facilitate re-entry into the dental system for an in-need population. Patient interviews highlight previous barriers to care, while the frequency of patients returning to the dental center for a multitude of procedures suggests this model’s ability to connect patients to needed long-term care. Our findings contribute to the growing efforts to create a more accessible dental care delivery system for Veterans.

Source of Funding: Harvard COOP Grant

Affiliations: Harvard School of Dental Medicine