title: A center for oral health promotion: establishing an inter-professional paradigm for dental hygiene, health care management and nursing education.
abstract: The need for education about oral health conditions has been discussed in recent years. Current research has shown correlations between oral and systemic disease. Disease entities have been connected to bacteremia and inflammatory process es, both of which can result  from oral pathologies. Professionals need to be educated about these connections and advised how, by maintaining proper oral health, they may avoid systemic consequences.  Students in dental hygiene, health care management and nursing programs can play a vital role in this education. By  jointly creating and operating an educational Center for Oral Health Promotion, they can better understand each other's professions. This will facilitate developing the skill set to reach out to the underserved and establish protocols to provide health literacy and care at affordable rates.  They can also better appreciate the interconnections between health care delivery and its management while gaining skills needed to work in an inter-professional setting.  A Center for Oral Health Promotion would expand services typically offered in dental hygiene educational settings  as well as expand dental hygiene, nursing and health care management student experiences.
authors.affiliation: West Coast University, Los Angeles campus, USA.
authors.forename: Susan I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Duley
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Fitzpatrick
authors.forename: Ximena
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zornosa
authors.forename: W Gail
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Barnes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D017046:Cost Savings; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D003756:Dental Hygienists / Q000193:education*; D004506:Education, Nursing; D005245:Fee Schedules; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006268:Health Facilities; D057220:Health Literacy; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006293:Health Promotion; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D008611:Mentors; D009909:Oral Health; D010348:Patient Care Team; D018802:Patient-Centered Care