Pediatric Dentistry Launches Oral Health Training Program for California Community Health Workers

The UCLA School of Dentistry has developed a new online training program to equip community health workers across California with the knowledge and practical skills to promote oral health and help connect individuals and families with dental care.

The California Community Health Worker Oral Health Training Program is a free, self-paced course developed by the UCLA Center for Children’s Oral Health (UCCOH) and funded by the California Department of Public Health’s Office of Oral Health. The bilingual training modules are hosted by the California Oral Health Technical Assistance Center at UC San Francisco.

Community health workers, or CHWs, often serve as trusted links between health care systems and the communities they serve. The new training builds on that role by providing specialized oral health education that CHWs can use to help prevent oral disease, educate patients and families, identify community needs, and connect people with dental providers and other resources.

“Community health workers have an extraordinary ability to build trust and connect families with the care and resources they need,” said Francisco Ramos-Gomez, D.D.S., M.S., M.P.H., professor and chair of the Section of Pediatric Dentistry and UCCOH director. “By equipping CHWs with practical, evidence-based oral health knowledge, we can extend prevention and education beyond the dental clinic and into the communities where people live, work, and learn. This program is an important step toward creating a more equitable and community-centered oral health system throughout California.”

The program reflects Ramos-Gomez’s longstanding focus on community-based strategies to address oral health disparities. His research and advocacy have emphasized prevention, social determinants of health, and the potential for community oral health workers to improve access to care among underserved and vulnerable populations.

Five Sessions, From Prevention to Patient Navigation

The training consists of five sessions:

• Introduction to Oral Health
• Social Determinants of Health
• Oral Health Through the Life Course
• Oral Health Practical Tools & Skills for Learning
• Incorporating CHWs Into the Dental Team

Each session – guided by a member of the UCLA Dentistry community – combines video lessons, knowledge checks, and supplemental resources. Participants learn about com

mon oral diseases and prevention strategies, the relationship between oral and overall health, and how factors such as income, housing, transportation, education, nutrition, and cultural beliefs can influence oral health and access to care.

The curriculum also provides tools that CHWs can put into practice in community, educational, and health care settings, including patient education, care coordination, and navigation.

The final session, led by Dr. Ramos-Gomez, examines how community health workers can be integrated into patient-centered dental teams. CHWs can help address barriers that may prevent patients from reaching a dental office while connecting families to appropriate services and resources.

Accessible Statewide in English and Spanish

Participants can complete the program online and at their own pace. Those who finish all five sessions and successfully complete the final knowledge check can receive a free certificate of completion recognizing their oral health training. The program also fulfills up to three hours of continuing education training for community health workers.

The training does not fulfill the complete requirements of the current Medi-Cal Community Health Worker Certificate Pathway, as that pathway includes additional CHW skills and competencies.

To increase accessibility throughout California’s diverse communities, the complete training program is available in both English and Spanish.

The initiative advances the UCLA School of Dentistry’s commitment to improving oral and overall health through education, research, patient care, and public service while strengthening connections between dental professionals and the communities they serve.

Access the California Community Health Worker Oral Health Training ProgramAccess training in Spanish