The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has identified increasing the number of health professionals with core competencies in oral health and interprofessional collaborative practice as a key strategy for improving the health of millions of Americans who currently lack access to dental care. Implementing this strategy will require a fundamental shift in health professions education away from the traditional separation between caring for the mouth and caring for the body.

This toolkit promotes a team-based approach to care that brings together students from multiple health professions to learn from and about one another’s roles and responsibilities while also learning to improve oral health across the lifespan. Educators will find a variety of teaching strategies, including online, simulation, case-based, and service learning as well as cooperative education. Where appropriate, these strategies are accompanied by ready-to-use instructor’s guides focused on diverse aspects of oral health integration.

The IOH Toolkit relies on the third edition of Smiles for Life: A National Oral Health Curriculum as a curricular foundation for its educational programming. The combined elements of flexibility, low cost, and accessibility make this online educational platform a powerful tool. But online programming alone cannot provide the interactive clinical and team-based experiences that characterize the best IPE. As a remedy, this toolkit uses a blended approach, incorporating online materials from Smiles for Life into classroom and clinical settings. In this way, students and faculty can reap the advantages of online education without missing out on the benefits of face-to-face, hands-on learning.

Smiles for Life

The Smiles for Life online curriculum undergirds programming described in the following toolkit chapters: Faculty Development, Simulation Learning, and Interprofessional Case-Based Learning.

Background. The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Oral Health Group created the Smiles for Life curriculum to develop oral health competency in primary care professionals and faculty. This widely respected online program equips practicing health professionals with the skills they need to:

• Recognize oral health conditions
• Assess oral health risks
• Participate in preventive activities on behalf of their patients

These competencies align with the Interprofessional Education Collaborative and the core competencies developed by HRSA as part of its 2014 Integration of Oral Health and Primary Care Practice initiative.

To learn more, see this Framework for Competency Development in Oral Health.

Content. Smiles for Life consists of eight self-paced online courses that cover oral health across the lifespan. Educators can access downloadable modules that include the course slides along with presenter notes, companion videos, an implementation guide, learning objectives, test questions, and a resource list.

Course 1. The Relationship of Oral to Systemic Health
Course 2. Child Oral Health
Course 3. Adult Oral Health
Course 4. Acute Dental Problems
Course 5. Oral Health and the Pregnant Patient
Course 6. Caries Risk Assessment, Fluoride Varnish and Counseling
Course 7. The Oral Examination
Course 8. Geriatric Oral Health

Access. Smiles for Life is available online and may be used free of charge. Faculty interested in completing Smiles for Life courses should register as individual clinicians.

Note: Registration is not required to view the courses, but it is required to receive continuing education credits. Those who wish to train others and download resources for classroom use must register as educators to gain full access to instructor materials.

Endorsements. Seventeen organizations have endorsed Smiles for Life, including:

• American Academy of Family Physicians
• American Academy of Physician Assistants
• American Academy of Pediatrics
• National Association of Community Health Centers
• National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
• American Dental Association