2012 grant projects Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers, Inc. Projects PEDs (Pediatricians Preventing Early Dental Diseases) The Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers has developed Project PEDs (Pediatricians Preventing Early Dental Disease) to reduce the incidence of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) through oral health education and referrals for dental services at three agencies (Complete Care Network, Visiting Nurse Association, Zufall Health Center) which include 14 locations in high need areas in New Jersey. DTA Foundation grant funds will enable the Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers to launch this pilot project. Project PEDs promotes the seamless transition of oral health education and training for staff from obstetric to pediatric departments, providing an important secondary reinforcement of key oral health messages. Oral health starter kits (including tenders, toothbrushes, sippy cups) will also be provided to parents for their children to promote good oral health behaviors. “Project PEDs includes the education and training of pediatricians and pediatric staff to promote the importance of oral health, hygiene, and access to dental care for parents, caregivers and children who are served by the Pediatric Departments at targeted areas in New Jersey,” according to Deborah Tracy, RDH, MAS, Regional Oral Health Coordinator of Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers. “Since each pediatric health care professional will treat many children, Project PEDs will be able to impact a significantly larger number of pediatric patients and their families.”
AMDA (formerly American Medical Directors Association) Oral Health for Long-Term Care Residents Toolkit
The DTA Foundation has awarded more than $930,000 in grant funding to 46 projects since the inception of the grant program in 2002. Past recipients have used DTA Foundation seed money for innovative programs designed to improve the access to, and productivity of, the oral health care system by nurturing, identifying, and leveraging promising projects.
The American Medical Directors Association, with a focus on long term care residents, will utilize DTA Foundation grant funds to create and pilot the Oral Health for Long-Term Care Residents Toolkit (Oral Health Toolkit). The Oral Health Toolkit will educate residents and help staff at long-term care facilities to create a comprehensive oral health program, consisting of an oral health champion, formalized policies and procedures about residents’ oral health self-care, screening procedures and routinized referral mechanisms. At the conclusion of the project, the Oral Health Toolkit and its results will be disseminated across the nation. “The development and implementation of the Oral Health Toolkit will increase the number of long-term care centers with a comprehensive oral health program. This in turn will increase knowledge of the importance of oral health care among long-term care staff, the quality of oral hygiene self-care assistance for independent residents, total oral hygiene care for dependent residents, the number of residents screened by staff for oral disease, and the number of long-term care residents referred for oral health service” according to Jacqueline Vance AMDA Director of Clinical Affairs. “Ultimately, the Oral Health Toolkit will result in improved oral health and quality of life with less pain.” At the conclusion of the project, the Oral Health Toolkit and its results will be disseminated across the nation.
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Support from the DTA Foundation has catapulted Senior Mobile Dental’s capabilities in providing access to care to the underserved elderly population throughout Colorado. By forming and implementing the teledentistry concept, it has allowed SMD to identify and address the advanced state of disease of seniors located in rural locations, and those living within nursing homes. Documentation and data is collected to identify the needs of this under represented population to initiate the needed change.
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Thank you, DTA Foundation, for your instrumental help to bring attention to the oral health crisis of our elderly population throughout the nation. You cannot imagine the extent in what you have provided to the vulnerable elderly in Colorado and as a representation, nationally. —Michelle Vacha, Founder and CEO of Senior Mobile Dental
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