title: Dental case manager encounters: the association with retention in dental care and treatment plan completion.
abstract: Little is known about dental case managers as few programs have been scientifically evaluated. The goal of this study was to explore the impact of dental case manager on retention in dental care and completion of treatment plans, while specifically exploring the number of dental case manager encounters. Fourteen programs enrolled people with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in dental care and a longitudinal study between 2007 and 2009. The 758 participants had a total of 2715 encounters with a dental case manager over twelve months: 29% had a single encounter; 21% had two; 27% had 3-4 and; 23% had 5-29 encounters. Adjusting for baseline characteristics, participants receiving more encounters were significantly more likely to complete their Phase 1 treatment plan, be retained in dental care, and experience improvements in overall oral health status. Organizations considering efforts to improve the oral health of vulnerable, hard-to-engage populations should consider these findings when planning interventions.
authors: University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
authors: Celeste A
authors: CA
authors: Lemay
authors: Carol
authors: C
authors: Tobias
authors: Amarachi A
authors: AA
authors: Umez-Eronini
authors: Carolyn
authors: C
authors: Brown
authors: Amanda
authors: A
authors: McCluskey
authors: Jane E
authors: JE
authors: Fox
authors: Helene
authors: H
authors: Bednarsh
authors: Howard J
authors: HJ
authors: Cabral
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D019090:Case Management; D017742:Dental Care for Chronically Ill / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015658:HIV Infections; D006304:Health Status; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D007348:Insurance, Health; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous; D035862:Vulnerable Populations; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs