Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
Center for Integration of Primary Care and Oral Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
Ann Fam Med. 2023 Feb;21(Suppl 2):S39-S48. doi: 10.1370/afm.2921.
Oral 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.
The 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.
Of 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.
Overall, 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.
口腔疾病对美国儿童的整体健康有重大影响，龋齿是该年龄段最普遍的慢性疾病。鉴于全国范围内牙科专业人员短缺，经过适当培训的跨专业临床医生和工作人员可以影响口腔健康的可及性。美国儿科学会于 2018 年创建了口腔健康知识网络（OHKN），通过每月的虚拟会议将儿科临床医生聚集在一起，向专家学习、分享资源和建立网络。
初级保健和口腔健康整合中心与美国儿科学会合作，于 2021 年对 OHKN 进行评估。该混合方法评估包括对计划参与者的在线调查和定性访谈。他们被要求提供有关其专业角色和对医-牙整合的前期承诺的信息，以及对 OHKN 学习会议的反馈。
在受邀的 72 名计划参与者中，有 41 名（57%）完成了问卷调查，有 11 名参加了定性访谈。分析表明，OHKN 的参与支持临床医生和非临床医生将口腔健康纳入初级保健。最大的临床影响是为医疗专业人员提供口腔健康培训（82%的受访者），而最大的非临床影响是学习新信息（85%的受访者）。定性访谈强调了参与者对医-牙整合的前期承诺以及他们当前医-牙整合工作的驱动因素。
总的来说，OHKN 对儿科临床医生和非临床医生都产生了积极影响，作为一个学习协作组织，它成功地教育和激励医疗保健专业人员通过快速资源共享以及临床实践的改变来改善患者获得口腔健康的机会。
