Project Status

Year One Accomplishments

• Development of training courses  
  • Specialized training courses for select Alabama dentists based on interest and geographic location
  • Training in good oral health and daily care for those with developmental disabilities
    
• Delivery of training courses
  • Course on special needs patients for sophomore and senior dental students
  • Rotations for senior dental students and pediatric residents to Sparks Dental and United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham (UCP) for observational purposes
  • Best Practices course
  • Annual one-day course presented for 30 dentists and 30 hygienists
  • One day oral health training for individuals with developmental disabilities
  • Best Practices course

    Ten dentists who are in the Advanced Master’s program attended UAB continuing education course on Saturday, May 17, 2008. The focus of this training was on best practice for inclusion of children and adults with developmental disabilities in oral health practices. These dentists are in the advanced master’s degree UAB program for general practitioners. They will be surveyed in next few months to see if the course impacted their ability to serve persons with developmental disabilities.

• Advocacy on Capital Hill:
  On May 2008 Dr. John Thornton spent the day on hill in Washington DC with the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry to advocate for indigent care and all children including those with special needs to improve oral health and access to oral health in Alabama. He met with Rep. Bud Cramer and Senator Jeff Sessions, U.S. Congressman Artur Davis staff to advocate for better oral health care throughout Alabama for all children. He advocated for improved use of Title VII grant funding for medial and dental residency training to be used as loan repayment for attracting junior faculty at UAB School of Dentistry.

Year Two Accomplishments

• Continuation of training efforts
  • Hands on training for over 50 senior dental students at dental clinics held at UCP, Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind (AIDB) and UAB Sparks
  • Dental Course in Fall Semester for 56 sophomore dental students focused on Special Care Dentistry
  • Annual Continuing Medical Education Course offered in September 2009 to dentists and their dental hygienists
    
• Collaboration with United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham
  • Quarterly meetings of Dental Advisory Board
  • Partnering to improve the number of dental assisting and hygiene programs with curriculum and training in oral health for persons with disabilities
  • Working collaboratively with partners throughout Alabama to address the educational needs of dental providers