Hello! I have a "lengthy issue" for which I am seeking your advice...... but first of all, I wish to thank you for the work you do. My name is Jacqueline A. Juhl, RDH, MSDH Candidate (double emphasis: Dental Hygiene Education and Dental Public Health). As a graduate student, I learned of your website and have continued to access it for work in my rural community to help form an oral health coalition. I currently teach at downtown Seattle dental hygiene baccalaureate program (quite the commute!) and teach a three part Community Oral Health Series, among other classes. I have encouraged my students to access your site in their course research and have provided them with links to specifics from your site in my PPTs. Thank you all so much for the great work you do!
My issue/question is this: I see such a gap in equity to access to oral health care in our present health care delivery system. Also, as we continue to establish credible oral-system disease interactions, the void in inter-professional oral health knowledge and education has promulgated a lack of oral care for hospitalized patients in our country, a void not seen in the UK and other countries globally. It is now established that the lack of oral care for hospitalized patients negatively impacts health outcomes, can precipitate additional cardio-vascular events, and costs patients thousands of dollars in additional hospitalization days. Together with a small group of "Alternative Practice" dental hygienists in Washington State and with my experience in hospital dentistry, and based on current research of disease processes, I hope to contribute to improving health care outcomes for all, including hospitalized patients. In my future doctoral work, and through other efforts, I hope convince hospital CEOs, Boards, and the public of the need to staff hospitals and emergency departments with advance practice dental hygiene professionals and dental hygienists as they do any other "therapist" as is currently done elsewhere globally. Oral disease prevention through education and skills training for both other healthcare disciplines and patients is essential. Can you advise me how best to convince hospital CEOs and Boards to recognize the evidence and open their minds and doors to this change in our current care delivery system? My alternative practice colleagues and I had begun some grassroots work with individual hospital CEOs and I have begun to broach the subject with my local rural hospital CEO who was a great help during my thesis research on Non-Traumatic Dental Complaint patient Emergency Department utilization. Your work on focus groups and advocacy has inspired me to even come to you with this issue. I hope you can advise me how best I can be a more effect advocate to gather momentum for this greatly needed workforce change which would significantly improve health outcomes and prevent future suffering. Thank you, once again. I hope to hear from you soon.
