Humanizing Oral Healthcare in Community Health

In a collective partnership funded by a CareQuest Institute for Oral Health grant and convened by the MassLeague, the Caring Health Center’s Tania M. Barber Learning Institute designed and delivered a four-part seminar on humanizing and community-centered approaches to oral health care. The interactive, asynchronous seminar was developed by and for members of the community health center workforce. It engaged oral healthcare workforce from two MA FQHCs in a six week reflective learning experience that integrated critical analysis of theory and frameworks, community-based learning, and reflection of their experiences in dental practice as an opportunity for personal, professional and intellectual growth. This presentation will provide a snapshot of the 6-week seminar and will provide actionable tools for daily practice that incorporate the history and founding of community health centers (CHC), definitions of oral health equity and foundational frameworks of humanizing and community centered approaches in dental practice to improve the care of diverse patient populations and communities.