Introduction

The focus of this case study is a community health center which serves the surrounding Native American rural community. Dental services are provided in the dental clinic at the health center by three fulltime dentists, six fulltime assistants, two fulltime dental hygienists, and one CDHC. The CDHC works in the clinic as a dental assistant to compensate for staffing shortages and also coordinates outreach initiatives.

For this initiative, the goal of the CDHC was to provide preventive services, promote oral health and, through patient navigation and care coordination, increase access to dental care for elementary school children in order to help them maintain their overall health. The primary role of the CDHC was to coordinate outreach at each elementary school location and the delivery of subsequent care rather than providing services at outreach events. The CDHC arranged for the clinic’s dental hygienist to conduct screenings and deliver dental services at the local elementary schools during the school year. The CDHC scheduled appointments at the dental clinic for children in need of comprehensive care.

To measure the success of this goal, the current case study was conducted to answer the following questions:

1. Did the elementary school outreach program result in screened children visiting the dental clinic?
2. How many children came to the dental clinic through the CDHC’s elementary school outreach program?
3. What types of dental services were provided to children at the elementary schools?
4. What types of dental services were provided to children at the dental clinic?
5. What was the value of the dental care provided to children at the elementary schools?
6. What was the value of the dental care provided to children at the dental clinic?
7. What was the missed appointment rate for children who had appointments for comprehensive care at the dental clinic?