A collaborative framework to address the deficiencies in oral healthcare access in public health departments
Abstract
Using a collaborative model to address oral healthcare access through public health practices and expand learning opportunities for dental hygiene and dental students, the Macon-Bibb County Health Department partnered with the Central Georgia Technical College and the Dental College of Georgia to address two of the U.S. Surgeon General’s priorities for Oral Health- 1) Change Perceptions of Oral Health and 2) Increase Collaborations. The Macon-Bibb County Health Department and Houston County Health Department are the only public health sites for dental care within a thirteen (13) county region and the Macon-Bibb County site just reopened in September 2021 after being closed for two years due to lack of a staff, Covid-19, and active plans to relocate the entire health department. With support of the Board of Health, and by aligning the strategic goals of the health department with two the U.S. Surgeon General’s priorities for Oral Health, collaborations were developed with Central Georgia Technical College in Macon, Georgia, which hosts an associate degree dental hygiene program that provides the knowledge and skills to prepare participants, either the Macon Campus or Warner Robins campus for the dental hygiene profession and licensure. Both public health departments offered external rotations for students and faculty to increase their visibility and learning opportunities. The program in dental hygiene is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. Additionally, collaborative discussions with the state’s only dental school, The Dental College of Georgia, to offer an external rotation for dental students who would be precepted by a practicing public health dentist in the central Georgia region. The purpose of the rotation was to introduce the dental students to public health practice and hopefully highlight practice opportunities in rural areas of the state.
Keywords
Oral health, Collaborations, Dental Hygiene, Dentistry
A collaborative framework to address the deficiencies in oral healthcare access in public health departments
Using a collaborative model to address oral healthcare access through public health practices and expand learning opportunities for dental hygiene and dental students, the Macon-Bibb County Health Department partnered with the Central Georgia Technical College and the Dental College of Georgia to address two of the U.S. Surgeon General’s priorities for Oral Health- 1) Change Perceptions of Oral Health and 2) Increase Collaborations. The Macon-Bibb County Health Department and Houston County Health Department are the only public health sites for dental care within a thirteen (13) county region and the Macon-Bibb County site just reopened in September 2021 after being closed for two years due to lack of a staff, Covid-19, and active plans to relocate the entire health department. With support of the Board of Health, and by aligning the strategic goals of the health department with two the U.S. Surgeon General’s priorities for Oral Health, collaborations were developed with Central Georgia Technical College in Macon, Georgia, which hosts an associate degree dental hygiene program that provides the knowledge and skills to prepare participants, either the Macon Campus or Warner Robins campus for the dental hygiene profession and licensure. Both public health departments offered external rotations for students and faculty to increase their visibility and learning opportunities. The program in dental hygiene is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. Additionally, collaborative discussions with the state’s only dental school, The Dental College of Georgia, to offer an external rotation for dental students who would be precepted by a practicing public health dentist in the central Georgia region. The purpose of the rotation was to introduce the dental students to public health practice and hopefully highlight practice opportunities in rural areas of the state.
