Evaluation of the Oral Health Knowledge Network’s Impact on Pediatric Clinicians and Patient Care

Abstract

PURPOSE Oral disease has a major impact on the overall health of US children, with dental caries being the most prevalent chronic disease in this age group. Given nationwide shortages of dental professionals, interprofessional clinicians and staff with proper training can influence oral health access. The American Academy of Pediatrics created the Oral Health Knowledge Network (OHKN) in 2018 to bring together pediatric clinicians via monthly virtual sessions to learn from experts, share resources, and network. METHODSThe Center for Integration of Primary Care and Oral Health partnered with the American Academy of Pediatrics to evaluate the OHKN in 2021. The mixed method evaluation included an online survey and qualitative interviews among program participants.They were asked to provide information on their professional role and prior commitment to medical-dental integration as well as feedback on the OHKN learning sessions. RESULTSOf the 72 program participants invited, 41 (57%) completed the survey questionnaire and 11 took part in the qualitative interviews. Analysis showed that OHKN participation supported both clinicians and nonclinicians in integrating oral health into primary care. The greatest clinical impact was incorporating oral health training for medical professionals (cited by 82% of respondents), while the greatest nonclinical impact was learning new information (cited by 85% of respondents). The qualitative interviews highlighted the participants' prior commitment to medical-dental integration as well as drivers for their current medical-dental integration work.CONCLUSIONS Overall, the OHKN had a positive impact on pediatric clinicians and nonclinicians and, as a learning collaborative, successfully educated and motivated health care professionals to improve their patients' access to oral health through rapid resource sharing as well as clinical practice change.

Pediatric oral and dental health knowledge in child development students

“…After the training, the recommendation rate of fluoridated toothpaste and first dental visit for 1 year old and younger increased. Similarly, Jiang et al (2023) reported that the importance given to fluoride applications by pediatricians increased after the oral health training. In this study, most of the students after the training learned that fluoride is not harmful.…”

“…Similar findings were seen in studies conducted in health services vocational school students, medical school students, and primary health care providers (dela Cruz et al, 2004;Ocek, Ertugrul, & Eden , 2008;Kilinc et al, 2020). In studies where preschool teachers (Khurana et al, 2020) and pediatricians (Jiang, Savageau, Riedy, & Silk, (2023) were trained about oral health in pediatric patients, it was observed that there was a significant increase in knowledge levels after the training. Similarlyin the present study, an increase was observed in the knowledge level after the training, and the students were found to be highly knowledgeable (80.4%).…”

Obstacles and Opportunities on the Path to Improving Health Professions Education and Practice: Lessons From HRSA’s Academic Units for Primary Care Training and Enhancement

“…Communities of practice, united by shared interests and a commitment to learning and change, 18 feature heavily in the work of the Academic Units. Several articles in this supplement provide examples of communities of practice, or learning communities, applied to diverse primary care-related areas including promoting cross-disciplinary partnering between dentistry and primary care, 13 increasing research and scholarship in rural primary care programs, 19 accelerating the integration of oral health into primary care training program curricula, 14 increasing the number of primary care professionals providing oral health services, 20 addressing social determinants of health in health professions education, 21 and increasing community engagement in undergraduate medical education. 22 Collectively, these researchers explore varied facets of how these communities are formed and function, and the goals they can achieve in changing educational and clinical practices.…”