UPMC Dental Care: Oral Health Education & Outreach
The 6-Domain Approach to Dental Care Management – Breakdown from the Text
While the text doesn’t explicitly list 6 domains, it strongly implies them through the areas of focus Doree Rossey and Crystal Siebka describe. Here’s a breakdown of those 6 domains, as evidenced by their work, and how they guide their team’s efforts:
1. Member Outreach & Education: This is the primary focus. They proactively reach out to members (especially children) who haven’t seen a dentist, educating parents about the importance of dental health and encouraging regular check-ups. This includes both direct calls and leveraging a call agency for adults.
2. dental Home Establishment: A key goal is to help members find a “dental home” – a consistent dental provider for ongoing care. This is about building a long-term relationship with a dentist, not just one-off appointments.
3. Provider Network Collaboration: They actively work with dental providers. Their regionally-based hygienists have strong local knowledge, understanding which dentists are best suited for specific needs (e.g., children with conditions, sedation options). They also collaborate on events like “Dental Days.”
4. Access to Care (Especially in Underserved Areas): Recognizing disparities in access, they utilize mobile providers to reach rural areas with limited or no dental services, offering “pop-up” events and connecting communities to care.5. Interprofessional Collaboration (Medical-Dental Integration): They maintain close contact with medical providers, particularly pediatricians, to ensure coordinated care and referrals. A streamlined internal referral system within UPMC also facilitates this.
6. Community Engagement & Innovative Education: This goes beyond individual outreach.They are actively in the community, working with groups like Head Start, daycare providers, Child and Youth Services, and foster families. They use innovative, hands-on educational tools (like the “soap tooth” activity) to improve understanding of oral health.
How these domains guide their efforts:
Proactive, not Reactive: They don’t wait for people to seek care; they actively seek out members who need it.
Holistic Approach: They address not just treatment, but prevention through education and establishing good habits.
Targeted Interventions: they tailor their approach based on the specific needs of the community and individual members.
Collaboration is Key: Success relies on strong partnerships with dental providers, medical professionals, and community organizations.
* Adaptability: They demonstrated this during COVID-19 by pivoting to virtual and at-home educational activities.
In essence, this 6-domain approach is about breaking down barriers to dental care and making oral health a priority for all members of their community.