Oral Health Workforce Development

  1. Featured Projects
  2. Oral Health Workforce Development

MCD Global Health, as a member of the Children’s Oral Health Network of Maine (COHN), is leading multiple projects in collaboration with COHN partners to strengthen and expand the oral health workforce in Maine so that Maine residents can access essential preventive care and early intervention cavity treatments, which are essential to a healthy life.

Solutions include professional development for traditional dental workforce team members and training for other health professionals who can support their patients’ oral health.

Woman on side of desk offering training to man on the other wearing gloves and utilizing dentistry tools.

Courtney Vannah, senior program manager of MCD's Oral Health Initiatives, trains Dr. Ryan Donahue, a MaineHealth pediatrician in Damariscotta, Maine, in applying silver diamine fluoride. Such work is part of developing the oral health skills of health care workers outside a traditional dentist office.

Location

Maine, U.S.A.

Partners

Children’s Oral Health Network of Maine; Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention; From the First Tooth; American Academy of Pediatrics-Maine Chapter; Maine Dental Hygienists' Association; University of Maine Augusta Dental Hygiene Program; Northern Light Health Family Medicine Residency; Maine Access Immigrant Network; Cross Cultural Community Services; and Maine Association of School Nurses

Funder

Maine Health Access Foundation; CareQuest Institute for Oral Health; the Maine Department of Labor; and the Sadie and Harry Davis Foundation

Duration

2023-Present

Contact

Courtney Vannah
Senior Program Manager
cvannah@mcd.org

Building Up the Workforce

Registered Dental Hygienist Professional Development

Supporting professional development for Maine registered dental hygienists (RDHs) who are seeking to advance their practice licensure with independent practice dental hygiene (IPDH) authority. IPDHs can provide a huge percentage of patient care needs in various community-based settings.

Workforce
Recruitment

A barrier to entering Maine’s dental workforce is the lack of information about where to get started. MCD has produced a website for dental career pathways in Maine that contains helpful information, such as obtaining education and licensure for different dental health professions roles, where each role works, what types of services they provide, and more.

Oral Health Navigator Learning Series

There is a demand for entry-level education to help new and existing oral health care team members better support patients, such as care navigation and oral health assessments. Expanding existing dental providers’ skillsets and integrating such foundational skills to other providers can assist in increasing support for patients’ oral health needs and decrease demand on traditional oral health providers.

Health Care Worker Professional Development

Because getting access to care from a dental provider is limited in Maine, many health care professionals are supporting their patients’ oral health. Training is provided for medical providers on different types of oral health service delivery that fall within the medical scope, including oral health assessments and triages, fluoride varnish, and silver diamine fluoride application.

News & Updates

New Resources Help Improve Access to Dental Care in Maine
MCD Awarded Grant to Increase Access to Dental Care for Maine Children
New Course to Improve Access to Dental Care in Maine