Community of Practice for Dental Providers Serving Children on Medi-Cal Dental: Needs and Progress in Alameda County

Abstract

ABSTRACTBackground California has a shortage of dentists able and willing to treat children in the Medi-Cal Dental Program. A dental community of practice (DCOP) model was used in Alameda County to increase provider skills and capacity and to support their Medi-Cal program participation. This paper describes the Alameda County DCOP and the experiences of the participating dental providers.Methods Dental providers were invited to join the DCOP and receive program benefits in exchange for accepting children from the Medi-Cal Dental Program in their practice. A mixed-methods study utilizing surveys and focus groups with participating dental providers was conducted, assessing and documenting their experiences, benefits and challenges of participating in the DCOP.Results The DCOP program enrolled 169 dental providers and delivered 14 C.E. courses (49 total C.E. units). Additionally, 132 dental providers completed Wave 1 surveys, and 42 providers completed Wave 2. The majority (68%) felt participating in the DCOP increased their capacity to serve children under age 5 in the Medi-Cal Dental Program. Eight focus groups were conducted with 47 dental providers. Focus groups discussed preferred C.E. topics, serving children in the Medi-Cal Dental Program, community dental care coordinators (CDCCs), family oral health education (FOHE), and the emergent theme of building community among dental providers.Conclusion Dental providers felt participating in the DCOP helped increase their capacity and confidence to serve low-income children. They also felt there was value in uniting with colleagues in a community dedicated to improving children’s oral health.

Keywords

• Community of practice
• children’s dental health
• dental public health
• Medi-Cal Dental
• dental workforce