On the West Virginia University Health Sciences Campus in Morgantown, trainees have opportunities to work with collaborative practice teams from five health schools – Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Health – and numerous centers, institutes and partners across the state. The extensive network provides valuable interprofessional education experiences that benefit learners and improve outcomes for the patients they serve.
A recent session provided the opportunity to improve care for the state’s youngest citizens, focusing on dental caries risk, assessment and fluoride varnish for children. In West Virginia, four in 10 elementary school students have experienced dental cavities, well above the national average, and more than half of the state’s residents live in a dental care shortage area.
Dentists and physicians completing pediatric residency programs in the Schools of Dentistry and Medicine gathered at WVU Medicine Children’s for the session that included education and a hands-on fluoride varnish application learning lab taught by the dental residents. The training opportunity was part of the 100 Million Mouths Campaign with learning lab supplies provided by the Delta Dental Community Care Foundation.
“The Department of Pediatrics is grateful for the interprofessional support from the School of Dentistry's pediatric residents in providing education and hands on learning for our own residents in alliance with the 100 Million Mouths Campaign,” Dr. Taylor Cunningham, School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics chief resident, said. “Through this campaign, our pediatric residents were able to acquire new skills to help promote oral hygiene in their current and future practice while forming relationships with colleagues in the school of dentistry.”
The 100 Million Mouths Campaign serves as a resource to help faculty integrate oral health topics into primary care curriculum to bridge gaps in oral health access. In West Virginia, the outreach program engages osteopathic medicine, pediatric, family medicine and physician assistant programs and complements the longtime integration of oral health education into primary care curriculum at WVU coordinated by Dr. Louise Veselicky, associate vice president for academic affairs at WVU Health Sciences. Elizabeth Puette, assistant professor in the School of Dentistry Department of Dental Hygiene, serves as a 100 Million Mouths Campaign representative.
Led by Dr. Dami Kim, assistant professor and School of Dentistry residency program director, pediatric dentistry residents Dr. Brianna Bevil, Dr. Branson Martin and Dr. Erin Miller also shared current recommendations from the American Dental Association and American Academy of Pediatrics with the 11 School of Medicine pediatrics residents.
“Establishing a relationship between dentists, pediatricians and other healthcare professionals is important because the mouth can affect the patient’s overall health and vice versa,” Dr. Brianna Bevil, School of Dentistry pediatric dentistry resident, said. “Young children tend to see their pediatrician more frequently than their dental home in the first few years of life, especially in rural areas where access to dental care is sometimes limited. Pediatricians are given a unique opportunity to help establish proper oral hygiene and nutritional habits in children. Collaborating with pediatricians on how to provide dental screenings may aid in the early detection of issues as well as help provide fluoride varnish which can aid in preventing cavities in children and provide a solid foundation for their oral health in the future.”
Collaboration between dental and primary care teams provides the opportunity to education caregivers and pediatric patients about the importance of oral health and regular dental visits to improve quality of life and catch dental concerns early. Research has demonstrated that dental visits increase among children from medically underserved communities when primary care providers address oral health.
Photo at top: WVU School of Dentistry Resident Dr. Brianna Bevil was among a group of pediatric dentistry residents who provided education and hands-on training for WVU School of Medicine pediatric residents on dental caries risk, assessment and fluoride varnish for children.
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jw/12/3/24
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