Rural Low-Income Adults Oral Health Needs at a Community Clinic

Abstract

There are limited affordable dental resources for Flagstaff and Coconino County residents. Rural and medically underserved individuals, such as low-income persons, have greater difficulty obtaining preventative oral care and greater likelihood of comorbidities due to poor oral health. Poor oral health leads to increased overall poor health outcomes and increased likelihood of comorbidities in adults. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice project was to conduct a quality improvement project through a needs assessment of patients receiving primary care services at the Poore Medical Clinic to determine program planning including dental clinic staffing needs, the primary care provider role in assessment, education, management, and appropriate referrals, and the need for potential formal community partnerships for improvement of access to dental care. A needs assessment was conducted over a one-month period, Demographics, health status, health habits, and oral care status of the patients was collected from 33 participants of the Poore Medical Clinic. Results demonstrate that here is significant unmet need for oral preventative health. Nearly half of participants (45%) reported not having received any dental care in greater than three years and 57% reported not having had a cleaning or dental exam in greater than three years. Recommendations based on the results of the quality improvement project include education by primary care providers during medical visits, increasing the number of volunteer dentists and oral hygienists through solicitation, enhanced community partnerships, and offering toothbrushes, toothpaste, and dental floss at no charge to patients.