2010 Patterson Dental Foundation Supports Dental Center
Date: February 1, 2010
The Patterson Dental Foundation recently awarded the Wentworth-Douglass Community Dental Center $7,000 to plan and implement the Oral Health Integration into Primary Healthcare project for the Wentworth-Douglass Physician Corporation (WDPC) medical practices. In the next few months, Dr. Jay Afrow, Dental Director, will visit WDPC offices for a “Lunch & Learn” program. He will provide an overview of oral health issues so medical providers can do oral health assessments on adults and children.
Each WDPC practice will choose an Oral Health Champion. The Oral Health Champion will assist providers with referrals to the Dental Center if they do not have an established dentist and meet the Hospital’s financial aid criteria of less than 300% of Federal Poverty Guidelines. A very important aspect of this program will be training medical personnel to apply fluoride varnish to the teeth of high-risk children at well-child visits.
Access to routine medical and dental care can improve the overall health of the residents that Wentworth-Douglass Hospital serves. WDPC practices will be one of the first groups in NH to embrace the integration of oral health into primary healthcare.
