PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Katy Battani
AU  - Emily Norrix
AU  - Lindsay Sailor
AU  - Christine Farrell
TI  - Improving Access to Oral Health Care: Integrating dental hygienists into federally qualified health center obstetrics and gynecology clinics in Michigan
DP  - 2023 Jun 01
TA  - American Dental Hygienists' Association
PG  - 7--12
VI  - 97
IP  - 3
4099  - http://jdh.adha.org/content/97/3/7.short
4100  - http://jdh.adha.org/content/97/3/7.full
SO  - J Dent Hyg2023 Jun 01; 97
AB  - Dental hygienists (DHs) are well positioned to be part of primary care teams to increase access to oral health care, particularly for those who encounter barriers to oral care, such as pregnant people. The Michigan Initiative for Maternal and Infant Oral Health (MIMIOH) integrates DHs into obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) clinics in federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) to improve pregnant people’s oral health. Evaluation of the MIMIOH program revealed that selecting DHs with personal characteristics desirable for integrated-care delivery was a major factor for successfully integrating DHs into OB/GYN clinics. Additionally, designing appropriate clinical workflows, gaining buy-in from prenatal health care professionals, presenting oral health care as part of prenatal care, having co-located OB/GYN and dental clinics, and maintaining adequate funding were all critical to program success. Analysis of Medicaid data showed that the MIMIOH model increased the percentage of pregnant people receiving oral health care at FQHC dental clinics. Innovative programs like MIMIOH add to the evidence that integrating DHs into primary care settings can increase access to oral health care, especially for those who face difficulties accessing the traditional oral health care system. There is great potential for DHs to leverage collaborative practice agreements and remote supervision to increase access to oral health care for the public. Providing DHs with autonomy to practice to the highest level of their scope of practice and permitting direct Medicaid reimbursement for DHs would make oral health care more accessible for underserved populations.