• Annals of family medicine · Feb 2023

    Evaluation of the Oral Health Knowledge Network's Impact on Pediatric Clinicians and Patient Care.

    • Tien Jiang, Judith A Savageau, Hollis Russinof, Christine A Riedy, and Hugh Silk.
    • Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts Tien_Jiang@hsdm.harvard.edu.
    • Ann Fam Med. 2023 Feb 1; 21 (Suppl 2): S39S48S39-S48.

    PurposeOral disease has a major impact on the overall health of US children, with dental caries being the most prevalent chronic disease in this age group. Given nationwide shortages of dental professionals, interprofessional clinicians and staff with proper training can influence oral health access. The American Academy of Pediatrics created the Oral Health Knowledge Network (OHKN) in 2018 to bring together pediatric clinicians via monthly virtual sessions to learn from experts, share resources, and network.MethodsThe Center for Integration of Primary Care and Oral Health partnered with the American Academy of Pediatrics to evaluate the OHKN in 2021. The mixed method evaluation included an online survey and qualitative interviews among program participants. They were asked to provide information on their professional role and prior commitment to medical-dental integration as well as feedback on the OHKN learning sessions.ResultsOf the 72 program participants invited, 41 (57%) completed the survey questionnaire and 11 took part in the qualitative interviews. Analysis showed that OHKN participation supported both clinicians and nonclinicians in integrating oral health into primary care. The greatest clinical impact was incorporating oral health training for medical professionals (cited by 82% of respondents), while the greatest nonclinical impact was learning new information (cited by 85% of respondents). The qualitative interviews highlighted the participants' prior commitment to medical-dental integration as well as drivers for their current medical-dental integration work.ConclusionsOverall, the OHKN had a positive impact on pediatric clinicians and nonclinicians and, as a learning collaborative, successfully educated and motivated health care professionals to improve their patients' access to oral health through rapid resource sharing as well as clinical practice change.© 2023 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

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