Oral Health Project

The Center for Health Equity will develop training modules and informational materials, and deliver in-person trainings for family and paid caregivers of individuals with disabilities as well as the dental workforce in Indiana, in order to improve access to dental care and at-home oral care for Hoosiers with disabilities. We aim to create effective and sustainable training and informational materials for caregivers and the dental workforce in Indiana by working in collaboration with people with various types of disabilities, caregivers, and dental professionals.

• In Year 3 (2021), the Center for Health Equity will convene an advisory committee, which will include family caregivers and representatives from disability service providers and other disability advocacy organizations to provide input on the development of training modules and informational materials addressing oral health literacy and self-efficacy for family and paid caregivers of individuals with disabilities.
• In Year 3, the Center for Health Equity will convene an advisory committee of representatives of dental organizations (professionals, educators, and others) to provide input on the development of training modules and informational materials on cultural and clinical competence of dental workforce professionals to serve individuals with disabilities.
• In Year 4 (2022), the Center for Health Equity will deliver two trainings designed for family and paid caregivers and two trainings for dental workforce professionals in two locations in Indiana.
• The Center will also make the materials developed in Year 3 available online and at conferences in Indiana.

• If you are a family caregiver or an organization that serves families, please feel free to contact us about our activities to develop trainings and materials on oral health literacy and at-home care.
• If you are a practicing dentist, dental hygienist, or other oral health professional in the state of Indiana, please feel free to contact us about the development of our trainings and materials to support cultural and clinical competence in serving patients with disabilities.
• Finally, please feel free to share any information about oral health and disability that you think would be relevant to the Oral Health project with our project lead.

In Year 1 and 2 of the Oral Health for Hoosiers with Disabilities Project, the Center for Health collected comprehensive data about oral health needs of Hoosiers with disabilities as well as current capacity and needs of dentists in Indiana.

• During Year 1 (2019), we conducted an extensive literature review on the oral health needs for people with disabilities and the capacity of capacity of the oral health workforce to serve people with disabilities.
• During Year 1 (2019), we interviewed individuals with disabilities and family caregivers about their dental experiences and representatives of the dental workforce about their capacity to provide care for people with disabilities. These reports “Experiences in Dental Care Access among Hoosiers with Disabilities: Summary of Key Informant Interviews” and “Capacity and Needs of Indiana Dental Workforce to Meet Oral Health Needs of Hoosiers with Disabilities: Summary of Key Informant Interviews” are available to view or download.
• In Year 2 (2020), the Center for Health Equity conducted an online survey of family caregivers living in Indiana. The report, “Oral Health for Hoosiers with Disabilities: Indiana Family Caregiver Survey Report,” is available to view or download.
• In Year 2 (2020), the Center for Health Equity conducted an online survey of dentists practicing in Indiana. The report, “Oral Health for Hoosiers with Disabilities: Indiana Dentist Survey Report,” is available to view or download.
• With the help from several individuals with disabilities and family caregivers, the Center for Health Equity was able to create four videos about the dental experiences and challenges in accessing care to educate dental workforce professionals.
• The Center for Health Equity released issue brief, "Improving the Oral Health of Hoosiers with Disabilities: Current Landscape and Recommendations," which provides practice and policy recommendations to improve access to dental care and oral health services for Hoosiers with disabilities.