The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #43364

Lynn Ann Bethel, RDH, BSDH, MPH, Dental Hygiene Program, Mount Ida College, 777 Dedham Street, Newton, MA 02459, 617-928-7343, Y1derYitjustis@AOL.com

Introduction: Experiential community dental health encounters in the dental hygiene curriculum suggest a benefit to the students and the population at risk for dental disease served by the students. Methods: Second year dental hygiene students of Mount Ida College, Newton, Massachusetts, have community learning experiences where they assess unmet dental needs, utilize oral health indices and educate populations on oral health issues in multi-lingual formats at various community settings. All members of the class complete 45 hours of community experience including, but not limited to HeadStart programs, senior centers, newborn classes and mobile dental vans. These experiences are structured learning; supervised by a licensed dental hygienist. Results: Preliminary data indicates a high-unmet need for dental services among the populations served. The HeadStart population initial OHI-S was (2.03+/-.70). Fifty-nine percent of the pre-schoolers had obvious untreated dental disease. Over 90% of the senior citizens assessed during a screening were referred to a dentist due to a suspicious oral lesion. Discussion: The community dental experience in the hygiene curriculum serves to assess and educate individuals who may go without routine professional dental visits. It also demonstrates alternatives open to the student in the field of dental public health. With the focus of healthcare on prevention and education the dental hygienist is key to the expansion and utilization of community dental health programs. Conclusion: The community experience takes the dental hygiene student from chair-side clinician to community educator while addressing the unmet dental needs of a population.

Learning Objectives: At the completion of this session, the participant will be able to

• Articulate the procedure for developing a community dental health experience for the dental hygiene student (allied health student).
• Apply the dental health HeadStart curriculum described to other pre-school programs.
• Identify community dental health experiences that are pertinent in the educational process for the dental hygiene student (allied health student).
• Relate the needs of a population with unmet dental needs to the community dental health curriculum.
• Recognize a student population that is available and expected to serve the community.

Keywords: Community Health Programs, Oral Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: The college where this educational curriculum was derived will be mentioned. (Mount Ida College Dental Hygiene Program)
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: employment/assistant professor