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Consortium for Oral Health Systems Integration and Improvement

Partnership for Integrating Oral Health Care into Primary Care


Overview

Between 2019 and June 2021, the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC) provided technical assistance and training to state Title V maternal and child health (MCH) agencies addressing the Title V national performance measure (NPM) on oral health, NPM 13, and implementing strategies to improve access to oral health care in primary care settings.

Five states—Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, and Rhode Island—were selected to participate in the project in 2019–2020 and four continued until June 2021. OHRC supported these efforts by state agencies and local primary care settings to integrate the interprofessional oral health core clinical competencies into practice. Primary care health professionals integrated oral health care into primary care by completing risk assessments and screenings, providing preventive interventions and education, and conducting interprofessional collaborative activities. The populations of focus included pregnant women, infants, children, and adolescents. Project settings included community health centers, a local public health department, and a university-based women’s health clinic.

Activities built on a pilot program funded by Health Resource and Services Administration in 2013 and implemented by the National Network for Oral Health Access.

Project Teams

Georgia Department of Public Health (2019–2021)
Albany Area Primary Health Care

Illinois Department of Public Health (2019–2021)
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District

Maryland Department of Health (2019–2021)
University of Maryland Medical Center Women's Health

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (2019–2021)
Ingham Community Health Centers

Rhode Island Department of Health (2019–2020)
WellOne Primary Medical and Dental Care

Project Teams for Partnership for Integrating Oral Health Care into Primary Care
   Map showing project teams

Resources

A User’s Guide for Implementation of Interprofessional Oral Health Core Clinical Competencies: Results of a Pilot Project
American Dental Association CDT Codes
Bright Futures: Oral Health—Pocket Guide
Considerations for Oral Health Integration in Primary Care Practice for Children
Integrating Oral Health Care into Primary Care: A Resource Guide
Integration of Oral Health and Primary Care Practice
Integration of Oral Health and Primary Care Technical Assistance Toolkit
Oral Health: An Essential Component of Primary Care: White Paper
Oral Health Coding Fact Sheet for Primary Care Physicians
Oral Health in Primary Care Training
Oral Health Reimbursement Chart
Oral Health Risk Assessment Resources
Organized, Evidence-Based Care: Oral Health Integration—Implementation Guide Supplement
Organized, Evidence-Based Care Supplement: Oral Health Integration—Executive Summary
Smiles for Life: A National Oral Health Curriculum

Contact

If you have additional questions or need further information about the project, please contact
Katy Battani
Project Manager

Interprofessional Oral Health Core Clinical Competencies

Domain 1: Risk Assessment
Identifies factors that impact oral health and overall health.

  • Conduct patient-specific oral health risk assessments on all patients.
  • Identify patient-specific conditions and medical treatments that impact oral health.
  • Identify patient-specific oral conditions and diseases that impact overall health.
  • Integrate epidemiology of caries, periodontal diseases, oral cancer, and common oral trauma into the risk assessment.

Domain 2: Oral Health Evaluation
Integrates subjective and objective findings based on completion of a focused oral health history, risk assessment, and performance of clinical oral screening.

  • Perform oral health evaluations linking patient history, risk assessment, and clinical presentation.
  • Identify and prioritize strategies to prevent or mitigate risk impact for oral and systemic diseases.
  • Stratify interventions in accordance with evaluation findings.

Domain 3: Preventive Intervention
Recognizes options and strategies to address oral health needs identified by a comprehensive risk assessment and health evaluation.
  • Implement appropriate patient-centered preventive oral health interventions and strategies.
  • Introduce strategies to mitigate risk factors when identified.

Domain 4: Communication and Education
Targets individuals and groups regarding the relationship between oral and systemic health, risk factors for oral health disorders, effect of nutrition on oral health, and preventive measures appropriate to mitigate risk on both individual and population levels.

  • Provide targeted patient education about importance of oral health and how to maintain good oral health, which considers oral health literacy, nutrition, and patient’s perceived oral health barriers.

Domain 5: Interprofessional Collaborative Practice
Shares responsibility and collaboration among health care professionals in the care of patients and populations with, or at risk of, oral disorders to assure optimal health outcomes.

  • Exchange meaningful information among health care providers to identify and implement appropriate, high quality care for patients, based on comprehensive evaluations and options available within the local health delivery and referral system.
  • Apply interprofessional practice principles that lead to safe, timely, efficient, effective, equitable planning and delivery of patient and population-centered oral health care.
  • Facilitate patient navigation in the oral health care delivery system through collaboration and communication with oral health care providers and provide appropriate referrals.