Tribal Dental Clinical and Prevention Support Center in the Southwest

Todd Hartsfield, DDS, Dental Clinical and Prevention Support Center, Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., 2214 N. Central Avenue, Suite #100, Phoenix, AZ 85004, 602.307.1576, todd.hartsfield@itcaonline.com and Zeenat Mahal, MBBS, MS, Epidemiology Center, Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., 2214 North Central Avenue, Suite 100, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

Background: The oral health disparities of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) are profound when compared to the general U.S. population. The 1999 IHS Oral Health Survey showed that the prevalence of dental disease in the AI/AN population is more than twice that of the non-Indian population and that AI/AN do not have adequate access to preventive and restorative dental care or periodontal disease treatment. Methods: Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Dental Clinical and Prevention Support Center (DCPSC) was established in August 2000, funded by the DHHS through the IHS to serve tribes in Arizona, Nevada and Utah. The initial five-year funding only allows the Center to provide programs to 19 tribes in Arizona, however, training modules, prevention supplies and technical assistance are available to the IHS dental programs in the entire tri-state Areas. Results: The Center has developed a wide-range of oral-health promotion and disease prevention materials, training modules, community prevention programs, i.e. fluoride-varnish and xylitol chewing-gum, community dental surveys and needs assessments. A major focus is the development of a “Diabetes and Oral Health” module for tribal diabetes programs. The Center also plays a major role in recruiting dentists for the IHS in the Phoenix-Tucson Areas. Discussion: The elimination of the IHS Area Dental Prevention Officers reduced the emphasis on oral health promotion and disease prevention programs on reservations. Conclusion: Tribal DCPSCs nation-wide are an innovative and effective model for educating and training tribal members to manage and administer their own oral-health promotion and disease prevention programs.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participants in this session will be able to

1. Identify the oral health disparities of American Indian/Alaska Natives compared to the general U.S. population.
2. Describe a national initiative to address the shortage of community oral health promotion and disease prevention programs on reservations as a result of IHS funding reductions.
3. Identify the wide array of oral health promotion and disease prevention programs and materials developed by a Tribal Dental Clinical and Prevention support Center.

Keywords: American Indians, Oral Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation

Integration of Oral Health and General Health

The 132nd Annual Meeting (November 6-10, 2004) of APHA