Assistant Professor & Deputy Director Medical College of Dental Medicine Medical College of South Carolina, James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine
Disclosure(s):
Amah Riley, DHSc, MPH-D, RDH, CDHC: No financial relationships to disclose
Description: The integration of dental hygienists into rural primary care and public health settings represents a novel approach to addressing the oral health needs of populations experiencing access to care challenges. Focusing on early childhood, this initiative aims to bridge the gap between medical and dental care by offering preventive oral health services, including screenings, basic preventive dental care, oral health education, and direct dental referrals during routine medical visits. This presentation will outline the operational and implementation processes, detailing the planning, strategies, and lessons learned during the initial phase of placing an RDH into rural pediatric primary care. Key operational components included engaging stakeholders, identifying a dental hygienist, developing workflows, and creating referral pathways to local dental providers. We will highlight challenges such as coordinating workflows between medical and dental teams, securing healthcare provider commitment, and ensuring patient follow-through on referrals. Despite these challenges, early successes include the establishment of a local dental referral network and strengthened collaboration efforts. While comprehensive evaluation data is not yet available, preliminary findings suggest that the RDH model effectively connects early childhood populations with access challenges to dental care through completed referrals. This presentation provides valuable insights for others seeking to implement similar models in communities experiencing access challenges.
Source of
Funding: : BlueCross BlueShield Foundation of South Carolina
