Community Partners

Course Description 

This course will introduce students/ residents to social and health care systems and determinants of health and the impact on the oral health of the individual and population. Students/ residents will demonstrate the ability to access and describe the use of population-based health data for health promotion, patient care and quality improvement. Topics that will be covered include: 

• Community health and social welfare including social programs
• Financing and workforce issues
• Pediatric oral health systems of care
• Health equity/ health disparities
• Health education and health promotion
• Population health management
• Health across the life span

Course Competency

• Describe social and health care systems locally and nationally and determinants of health and their impact on the oral health of the individual and population.
• Describe the oral health status and needs of the US population, including the underserved, and minority groups.

Course Objectives

On successful completion of this course, residents will be able to:

• Identify the causes of social and behavioral factors that affect health of individuals and populations
• Identify individual, organizational, and community concerns, assets, resources, and deficits for social and behavioral science interventions
• Identify critical stakeholders for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public oral health programs policies, and interventions
• Describe the role of social and community factors in both the onset and solution of public oral health programs, policies, and interventions.
• Describe the different US social welfare systems, healthcare systems and health insurance systems and their implications for population oral health status.
• Define oral health literacy for the health care provider and dental public health professional
• Identify aspects of an oral health literate organization and be able to suggest ways to implement oral health literate best practices
• Describe the individual, community and public health implications of low oral health literacy and the role of home visiting programs

Explain strategies to communicate more clearly with patients, the public, or community