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This five-year project focuses on improving the education and training efforts of dental students on how to care for vulnerable groups, including those with substance use disorders.
This five-year project focuses on improving the education and training efforts of dental students on how to care for vulnerable groups, including those with substance use disorders.The University of Alabama Birmingham School of Dental Medicine received a $1.5 million grant over five years from the Department of Health Resources Services to improve the oral health of vulnerable adults in underserved communities in Alabama. rice field.
UAB’s Department of Clinical and Community Sciences has a strong partnership with the State of Alabama’s Department of Senior Services to engage in the interdisciplinary education and care of patients at UAB medical clinics.
“This project will enable dental students to meet the needs of diverse patient groups, collaborate with non-dental health care professionals to bridge the gap between medical and dental care, and positively impact the future of the dental workforce.” Setting the stage for readiness, said project principal investigator Raquel Mazer, DMD, associate professor in the Department of Clinical and Community Sciences at UAB.
Adults, especially those with complex medical problems or living in resource-poor areas, face widespread barriers to oral care. This five-year project focuses on an interdisciplinary approach to educating dental students and training non-dental professionals, who are undergoing treatment for heart disease and diabetes, or substance use disorders.
“This project and funding utilizes a patient-centered approach to care with interprofessional education and knowledge exchange among dental students, medical students, residents, nurses and nursing students to better treat patients. We provide oral and primary care coordination to help you do that,” said Dr. Michelle Talley. She is .D., Associate Professor and Interim Associate Dean of the Office of Clinical and Global Partnerships at the UAB School of Nursing, and one of the project collaborators.
“Oral health is essential to the coordination of overall health and care, and is essential for people of all ages and those facing complex medical problems,” said Eric Wallace, medical director of UAB’s Telehealth. , MD said. “This is especially important as health care professionals care for adults with chronic illnesses.”
Nathan Smith DMD, project investigator and assistant professor in the Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, said that people facing barriers to care, especially those 65 and older who retain their natural dentition, Access to health care services is often limited, he said. Longer than previous counterparts.
“Some clinical opportunities exist for dental training through established community-based sites,” Smith said. Care services will be integrated and the dental workforce will be prepared to meet the oral health needs of vulnerable and underserved rural populations.”
The project will also develop a mentoring program for dental pre-admission students from rural Alabama by connecting faculty and dental admissions teams to rural dental student candidates who may benefit from mentorship. establish.
“Students from rural areas are more likely to serve in small towns after graduation,” says Carly Timmons MacKenzie, PhD. “Applicants in small towns and rural areas often face unique barriers to achieving their school goals. Development and mentoring programs help them learn more about the profession and prepare for the admissions process. , which we hope will help provide additional academic support to successfully navigate the rigors of dental education. create and maintain partnerships to connect and deliver
Alabama desperately needs dentists
According to the American Dental Association, Alabama currently ranks 51st in the United States for dentist-to-population ratio, with 41 dentists per 100,000 residents. Additionally, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health, 65 of his 67 counties in Alabama are short of dental professionals due to a variety of factors.
UAB’s Lister Hill Center says about 80 percent of all dentists in Alabama practice in the 13 most urban counties. The remaining 20% practice in Alabama’s 54 non-urban counties, and many of these smaller counties have only one to three dentists from him to her. This equates to 1 dentist in 1,800 in urban areas and 1 in 4,100 in rural areas.
Since 1990, in Alabama’s 41 most rural counties, only about 4 dentists per 55 class average have chosen to practice, while one of Alabama’s 54 non-urban counties has On average, 8.5 dentists per 57 classes choose to Finally, about 40% of Alabama dental graduates choose to practice outside the state.
In addition to the shortage of dental professionals in rural practice, a large portion of Alabama’s dental workforce is reaching retirement age, creating a need for urgent replacement of rural dentists, which has not been met. not. These joint initiatives should help reduce the significant burden of disease faced by underserved communities and improve access to dental/oral and overall health.
“Oral health is an important component of both overall health and quality of life,” says McKenzie. “Unfortunately, many residents of these rural areas do not have access to the dental care they need. It helps alleviate some of the burden that we face in the future.”
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