Certificate Offered in Oral Health Science Program for Non-Dental Healthcare Providers

In a move toward integrated and collaborative healthcare, the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD) in Baltimore has developed a certificate program to help non-dental providers learn to recognize and manage oral health infections, diseases and systemic conditions to more effectively and efficiently improve patients’ overall health.

This graduate-level program intends to improve outcomes by teaching clinicians how to incorporate oral health services into care management, and how to evaluate and recognize acute and chronic oral conditions and diseases. Students will also gain an understanding of the impact of oral disease on healthcare delivery, and the overall well-being and health of patients. As part of the program, they receive training in dental radiology and will be prepared for dental radiology certification. 

Medical-dental partnerships are part of emerging healthcare delivery models, as multidisciplinary treatment teams integrate primary care with oral healthcare services. This model allows the extended healthcare team to provide patient-centered treatment. 

Scheduled to begin in fall 2020, 27 nurses, physician assistants, and licensed healthcare professionals accepted into the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Oral Health Science at UMSOD part-time program complete five courses, which includes oral infection and disease, contemporary oral therapeutics in oral medicine and dentistry, and the relationship between oral health and systemic disease.

“The knowledge gained in the management of oral health and its impact on the care of those with acute and chronic illnesses or systemic disease will provide avenues for interprofessional communication, as well as intercession with preventive measures and integration of care with dental professionals,” explains Mary Beth Aichelmann-Reidy, DDS, chief of UMSOD’s Periodontics Division in the Department of Advanced Oral Sciences and Therapeutics. “It has been recognized that healthcare outcomes are altered and in-hospital mortality in geriatric patients is independently predicted by poor oral health, thus underscoring the importance of integrated management of dental and oral disease to patient outcomes.”

Designed for the working professional, the certificate program can be completed part-time within 18 months. Students learn via online instruction and during face-to-face clinical experiences.