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- Title
Integrating Case Management into the Dental Hygienist's Role: Improving Access to and Utilization of Oral Health Care for Pregnant Women.
- Authors
Schmidt, Marina; Battani, Katy; Bress, Lisa
- Abstract
Problem: In Maryland, Medicaid provides dental coverage for pregnant women yet only 28 percent of enrollees had a dental visit in 2018. Medicaid-enrolled pregnant women experience barriers to accessing dental care, which can negatively impact maternal and child health. This innovative program aims to decrease barriers to oral health care for an underserved community while providing experience for future dental hygienists in treating patients whose health outcomes are impacted by social determinants. Purpose: In partnership with the University of Maryland Women's Health Center (UMWHC), the University of Maryland School of Dentistry's (UMSOD) Dental Hygiene program developed a case management protocol for lowincome pregnant women to increase utilization of oral health care services. This program was designed to expand access to oral health care by integrating dental hygiene faculty and students into the prenatal healthcare protocol at a universitybased women's health center. Key Features: Key features of the program include (1) frequent dialogue between the UMWHC prenatal providers and the UMSOD to manage dental referrals and address patient concerns and 2) a streamlined, multistep process at the UMSOD to schedule, register, and coordinate oral health care that builds patient trust and addresses patients' dental needs. Information regarding prenatal oral health care safety, importance, and coverage by Medicaid, is disseminated to pregnant women through Zoom presentations during UMWHC "baby shower" events and case management services (via text or phone). These services are integral to increasing oral health equity for vulnerable pregnant women and expands the scope of dental hygiene practice. Plan Evaluation: Data has been collected monthly by the program coordinator since program initiation in 2018, to evaluate effectiveness. Measures include: 1) number of pregnant women referred to the UMSOD from the UMWHC, 2) number of pregnant women who report for dental appointments at the UMSOD, 3) number of pregnant women who do not show for dental appointments at the UMSOD, and 4) number of pregnant women who complete comprehensive dental hygiene care. Current program data collected through case management of all UMWHC referrals indicates that partnering with the UMWHC and providing case management services has: 1) increased referrals from 5 to 30 per month, 2) increased the number of pregnant women who have dental appointments from 3 to 12 per month, 3) decreased the percentage of pregnant women who do not show for appointments from 75% to 31%, and 4) increased the percentage of pregnant women who completed dental hygiene care from 47% to 62%.
- Publication
Journal of Dental Hygiene, 2021, Vol 95, Issue 5, p86
- ISSN
1043-254X
- Publication type
Academic Journal