Networks for Oral Health Integration Within the Maternal and Child Health Safety Net
Overview
The purpose of the Networks for Oral Health Integration (NOHI) Within the MCH Safety Net was to improve access to and utilization of comprehensive, high-quality oral health care for pregnant women, infants, and children at high risk for oral disease. Three projects were awarded funding from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau for a 5-year period (2019–2024) to develop, implement, and evaluate models of care using three collective strategies:
- Enhanced integration of oral health care within maternal and child health safety net services (e.g., community health centers [CHCs]).
- Increased knowledge and skills among health professionals (including oral health, non-oral-health clinical, and non-oral-health support service professionals) for delivering optimal oral health care.
- Enhanced knowledge and awareness of preventive oral health practices among parents and other caregivers to increase adoption of these practices, including use of oral health care.
Projects
Each NOHI project team comprised the award recipient, the partners, and the primary care associations and selected CHCs in four states (see map below). Two projects focused on pregnant women and infants and children from birth to age 40 months, and one project focused on children ages 6–11. Learn more in Networks for Oral Health Integration: Overview and Project Profiles 2020, Update 2021, Update 2022, Update 2023, Update 2024, and NOHI Projects: At-A-Glance.
- Midwest Network for Oral Health Integration (MNOHI): Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Ohio
- Rocky Mountain Network of Oral Health (RoMoNOH): Arizona, Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming
- Transforming Oral Health for Families (TOHF): District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, and Virginia
Learning Collaborative
NOHI projects participated in a learning collaborative (LC) supported by the Consortium for Oral Health Systems Integration and Improvement project (COHSII). COHSII was led by the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center working with the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors and the Dental Quality Alliance. The NOHI LC was also supported by FrameShift Group.
The LC provided peer-to-peer learning opportunities for members to share information about successes, lessons learned, and challenges related to implementing models of care and building capacity around three core function areas:
- Data, analysis, and evaluation
- Outreach and education
- Policy and practice
LC members shared project resources (e.g., practice readiness assessments, training tools, educational materials, workflows) and strategies for project implementation (e.g., motivating clinics to stay engaged in NOHI project activities, engaging patients, improving oral health providers’ capacity to provide timely care for referred patients, sustaining the integration of oral health care into primary care). The cross-pollination of ideas and resources shared among LC participants enhanced project activities and enabled projects to achieve more collectively than they would have been able to as individual projects.
The NOHI projects collaborated to identify common metrics that address the program objectives and metrics unique to their specific project.
Environmental Scan
The NOHI projects collaborated to develop an environmental scan tool to gain knowledge about factors that could impact the integration of oral health care into primary care for pregnant women, infants, and children at high risk for oral disease in 11 states and Washington, DC. NOHI project staff and partners conducted the environmental scan and interpreted the data. The results of the third environmental scan are presented in Networks for Oral Health Integration (NOHI) Within the Maternal and Child Health Safety Net: Environmental Scan 2023 Chartbook. The chartbook presents data related to scope of practice for medical and dental providers, Medicaid billing and payment, and policies and regulations. View a presentation about the environmental scan and how the results are used to inform policy at the state legislative and agency level.
A set of project chartbooks complement the 12 state/jurisdiction chartbook.
- Midwest Network for Oral Health Integration (MNOHI): Environmental Scan 2023 Chartbook
Results from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Ohio - Rocky Mountain Network of Oral Health (RoMoNOH): Environmental Scan 2023 Chartbook
Results from Arizona, Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming
Executive summaries of the 2023 environmental scan results: Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming
- Transforming Oral Health for Families (TOHF): Environmental Scan 2023 Chartbook
Results from Maryland, New York, Virginia, and Washington, DC
Resources
Community Health Center Assessments
- Community Health Center Baseline Survey (2019) (RoMoNOH)
- Community Health Center Oral Health Needs and Capacity Assessment (2019) (RoMoNOH)
- Health Information Technology Assessment (2020) (TOHF)
- Key Informant Interview Guide (2019) (RoMoNOH)
- Oral Health Integration Readiness Profile for Participating Community Health Centers (2020) (TOHF)
- Oral Health Literacy Environmental Scan (2020) (TOHF)
- Oral Health Services Assessment (2020) (TOHF)
- Participating Community Health Center Needs Assessment (2020) (MNOHI)
- Policy Assessment Matrix for Community Health Centers (2021) (TOHF)
- Practice Referral Process Assessment (2020) (TOHF)
- Prospective Community Health Center Readiness Assessment (2020) (MNOHI)
- Provider and Staff Survey: Provider and Staff Oral Health Survey (2024) (RoMoNOH)
- Tiny Tooth Survey: Parent Oral Health Survey (2024) (RoMoNOH)
Community Health Center Coaching Tools
- Coaching Change Package (revised edition) (2020) RoMoNOH)
- Community Health Center Site Monthly Field Note (2020) (RoMoNOH)
- Learning Network Field Note (2020) (RoMoNOH)
Community Health Workers
- Community Health Worker and Care Coordination: Best Practices (2022) (MNOHI)
- Community Health Workers for Integrated Care Coordination (2022) (MNOHI)
Data Collection and Reporting
Oral Health Risk Assessment
- Oral Health Risk Assessment, Children Ages 6–11 (2020) (MNOHI)
- Parent/Caregiver Oral Health Risk Assessment (2022) (RoMoNOH)
Patient Engagement, Education, Satisfaction, Self-Management Goals
- Brush, Book, Bed Patient Engagement Activity Assessments (RoMoNOH)
- Patient Satisfaction Survey (2022) (MNOHI)
- Ready, Set, Goals! (2021) (RoMoNOH)
Project Evaluation
Sustaining the Integration of Oral Health Care and Primary Care
- Sustainability Checklist (2024) (RoMoNOH)
- Sustainability of an Oral Health & Medical Integration Program (2023) (TOHF)
Training Tools and Assessments
- Knowledge Assessments and Scoring Rubrics for Medical and Dental Providers, Staff, and Patients (TOHF)
- Survey of Dental Caries Prevention and Scoring Rubric: Dental Assistants (2020)
- Survey of Dental Caries Prevention and Scoring Rubric: Dental Hygienists (2020)
- Survey of Dental Caries Prevention and Scoring Rubric: Dentists (2020)
- Survey of Dental Caries Prevention and Scoring Rubric: Medical Assistants (2020)
- Survey of Dental Caries Prevention and Scoring Rubric: Non-Clinical Staff (2020)
- Survey of Dental Caries Prevention and Scoring Rubric: Nurses (2020)
- Survey of Dental Caries Prevention and Scoring Rubric: Obstetric Providers (2020)
- Survey of Dental Caries Prevention and Scoring Rubric: Patients (2020)
- Survey of Dental Caries Prevention and Scoring Rubric: Physicians (2020)
- Medical-Dental Integration eLearnings (2020) (RoMoNOH)
- Instructions for Accessing eLearnings
- Module 1: Introduction to Oral Health Integration
- Module 2: Clinical Skills & Integrating Oral Health
- Module 3: Oral Health Communication & Education
- Module 4: Interprofessional Collaboration
- Module 5: Perinatal Oral Health
- Instructions for Accessing eLearnings
- MNOHI Training Modules
- Instructions for Accessing the Modules (rev. ed.) (2022)
- Condensed Smiles for Life Modules 2 and 6 (2022)
- Oral Health in the Well Child Visit (2020)
- Instructions for Accessing the Modules (rev. ed.) (2022)
- Selection of Oral Health Training Modules for Medical Providers (2020) (TOHF)
For additional resources see Integrating Oral Health Care Into Primary Care: A Resource Guide (2020).
Contact
If you have questions or need additional information about the project, please contact Susan Lorenzo, Technical Assistance and Training Project Manager/Librarian.