Community Cases

Community Case 1

As the Oral Health Program Coordinator at the State Health Department, you are asked to conduct a statewide screening project to determine the oral health status of school-aged children. After collecting the survey data, you will analyze it to identify and prioritize the problems reflected by the data. Then you will participate with other stakeholders to select and plan oral health programs for local implementation that will address the needs of children across the state.

Community Case 2

In your position as the oral health program coordinator for the Division of Dental Health, State Health Department, you are assigned the task of developing an educational campaign to promote oral health as critical to overall health. You are also in charge of setting up a dental sealant program in a part of the state that is classified as a dental HPSA. You will be responsible for selecting schools to participate in the dental sealant program and for organizing the project, including planning all meetings ordering supplies, supervising personnel, and arranging the schedule

Extra Community Case 1

You have been hired recently by the state health department as a community oral health consultant for older adults in the state. There is concern that this population may not be receiving necessary information regarding root caries and tooth loss. The state dental director has asked you to conduct an assessment to evaluate the extent of the problem and identify potential initiatives to address the problem.

(Extra Case 1) Which agency would be the primary resource for information about the priority population being targeted by your assignment? a. National Institutes of Health (NIH) b. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) c. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) d. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

a. National Institutes of Health (NIH) (Rationale: The priority population targeted by the assignment is older adults. One of the agencies of the NIH is the National Institute on Aging, which supports research on aging and disseminates information about aging to the public, healthcare professionals, and other audiences. Other answer choices do not have a singular focus on the older adult population.)

(Case 1) Which major DHHS agency would have the most possibilities for funding the programs you select to conduct? a. PHS (public health service) b. ACF (administration for children and families) c. CMS (centers for medicare & medicaid services) d. WIC (women, infants, and children)

a. PHS (public health service) (Rationale: There are eight operating agencies under the Public Health Service (PHS), including the CDC, NIH, and HRSA that are active in funding prevention programs and research projects that would relate to this program. Also, HRSA is a source of funding for school-based health centers.)

(Extra Case 1) As you fulfill your responsibilities, you form relationships with other health professionals to work together in the process of gaining background information on root caries, tooth loss, and other oral health issues, exploring their relationship to overall health and medical conditions in this population, and identifying potential program initiatives that will address oral health in relation to overall health. This is an example of which of the following concepts that has been proposed for future population health efforts? a. Interprofessional education (IPE) b. Interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP) c. Essential public health services d. Implementation of the 2010 Affordable Care Act

b. Interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP) (Rationale: ICP is the collaboration of various health professionals in the comprehensive health care of individuals and populations. Greater interprofessional collaboration to address the multifactorial nature of oral diseases and the oral-systemic link can impact oral health.)

(Extra Case 1) All of the following EXCEPT one has contributed to the identification of root caries and tooth loss as a public health problem in this priority population. Which is the EXCEPTION? a. Effectiveness of fluoride in controlling root caries b. Personal opinion of the director of the state health department c. Oral health surveillance data for the population d. A low rate of fluoridated community water supplies in the state

b. Personal opinion of the director of the state health department

(Case 1) Which core public health function is addressed through the initial phase of this project? a. assurance b. assessment c. policy development d. planning

b. assessment (Rationale: The initial phase of the project is the statewide screening, which describes an assessment activity. Assessment is the core public health function that involves collection and analysis of data for use in planning programs)

(Case 1) The last phase of the project as described in the scenario relates to which private-practice function? a. diagnosis b. evaluation c. examination d. treatment

b. evaluation (Rationale: evaluation of treatment should occur during implementation and at the end of treatment or program operations)

(Case 2) You decide to set up a committee to help develop the "health mouth, healthy body" campaign and invite a public health nurse, a nutritionist, a mental health specialist, and a chronic disease health educator to join. This step is an example of which of the following? a. advocating for policy changes b. interprofessional collaborative practice c. working under remote supervision d. secondary prevention strategies

b. interprofessional collaborative practice

(Extra Case 1) A health marketing campaign is identified as a potential initiative to disseminate information on oral health diseases and conditions and the oral-systemic link to health professionals, social service professionals, and community workers who serve older adults in the community through community senior centers, long-term care facilities, local health departments, hospitals, and other relevant community and public health agencies and organizations. Which essential public health service to promote oral health is illustrated by this initiative? a. Build and maintain a strong organizational infrastructure for public health b. Strengthen, support, and mobilize communities and partnerships to improve health c. Build and support a diverse and skilled public health workforce d. Assure an adequate and competent public and private oral health workforce

c. Build and support a diverse and skilled public health workforce

(Extra Case 1) As one strategy, you conduct a statewide oral health survey of older adults to assess their knowledge of and access to information about root caries and tooth loss. This step is the dental public health equivalent to which of the following components of the process of care in clinical practice? a. Treatment plan b. Patient evaluation c. Examination d. Dental hygiene diagnosis

c. Examination (Rationale: The community survey parallels the patient examination as a means of assessing the situation or problem. Program planning is the dental public health equivalent of treatment planning in clinical practice, program evaluation or appraisal parallels patient evaluation, and analysis is comparable to diagnosis.)

(Case 2) What professional career path is represented by your responsibility for the school-based sealant program? a. clinician b. researcher c. administrator d. educator

c. administrator

(Case 2) The educational campaign would be categorized as a primary prevention measure. The sealant program would be a secondary method of prevention. a. both statements are true b. both statements are false c. the first statement is true, the second is false d. the first statement is false, the second is true

c. the first statement is true, the second is false

(Extra Case 1) Your assignment in this position relates to all of the following EXCEPT one. Which is the EXCEPTION? a. Dental public health b. Collaboration c. Population health d. Policy development

d. Policy development (Rationale: The assignment described in the case is to conduct an assessment to evaluate the extent of the problem and to identify potential initiatives to address the problem. Although policy development may be required later as a response to the results of the assessment, the current assignment does not involve policy development.)

(Case 1) All of the following essential public health services to promote oral health EXCEPT one would apply to this venture. Which is the EXCEPTION? a. assess oral health status and implement an oral health surveillance system b. develop and implement policies and systematic plans that support state and community oral health efforts c. reduce barriers to care, and assure utilization of personal and population-based oral health services d. promote and enforce laws and regulations that encourage oral health and ensure safe oral health practices

d. promote and enforce laws and regulations that encourage oral health and ensure safe oral health practices (Rationale: The programs described in this scenario (statewide oral health screening of school-age children and planning programs for local implementation) do not relate to laws and regulations that promote oral health and ensure safe oral health practices.

(Case 1) If the programs you select are to be effective public health solutions, they will need to have all EXCEPT one of the following characteristics. Which is the EXCEPTION? a. not hazardous to life or function b. easily and efficiently implemented c. attainable by those who can afford the dental care d. effective immediately upon application

c. attainable by those who can afford the dental care (Rationale: An effective public health solution will be attainable regardless of socioeconomic status, not just by those who can afford it.)

(Case 2) All of the following factors EXCEPT one relates to the determination of the location for the sealant program. Which is the EXCEPTION? a. the ratio of dental providers to population b. the number of people who do not have access to dental care c. the number of elementary, middle, and high schools d. the number of dental therapists

c. the number of elementary, middle, and high schools

(Case 2) According to the laws of this state, a dentist must screen the children to approve the teeth for dental sealants before a dental hygienist places the sealants; the dentist does not have to be present at the time that the dental sealants are placed. Based on this information, which of the following is correct? a. this is an example of direct supervision b. this describes a direct access state c. this describes general supervision d. assessment is within the scope of practice for dental hygienists in this state

c. this describes general supervision