Early Childhood Caries and the Role of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

Interprofessional peer-led learning in oral health training

Research on peer-led interprofessional learning in oral-health training for pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) students is sparse. Therefore, we conducted a mixed-methods pilot study to assess the feasibility and impact of a student-led interprofessional training program centered on pediatric oral-health with PNP and dental students. Eleven PNP students rotated through the dental clinic to receive an oral-health education from 12 second-year dental students. These students learned how to treat avulsed teeth, apply fluoride varnishes, detect caries, and to do lap-to-lap baby dental exams. A reflection and a self-report survey-measure were used to elucidate what the students gained from the experience, their satisfaction with the training, how it may be improved, and how they see future collaboration of PNPs and dentists. PNP students felt dental students were well equipped to teach them, felt confident in their ability to conduct an oral evaluation/apply fluoride varnishes, and felt the experience to be valuable to their future practices. Dental students learned the scope of practice of PNPs and ideated ways the two professions overlap and complement each other. While some may find it challenging to envision dentistry regularly collaborating with other healthcare providers, clinical interprofessional education can be one way to break down these barriers.

Open Mouth, Open Mind: Expanding the Role of Primary Care Nurse Practitioners

Oral health is essential to overall health at any age, although in children it is particularly important because poor oral health can have a deleterious effect on deciduous and permanent dentition. For decades, oral health providers have urged primary care providers to incorporate oral health assessment, risk factor identification, parent education, and preventive therapy into routine well-child visits. Despite recommendations from various professional associations and governmental organizations, the incidence of dental disease in young children remains relatively unchanged. Although the literature has clearly demonstrated that preventive care treatments, such as the application of fluoride varnish performed in the primary care setting, improve oral health in children, very few primary care providers include oral health services in their well-child visits. The purpose of this article is to reduce the barriers and knowledge gaps identified in recent pediatric oral health research and educate primary care nurse practitioners on the application of fluoride varnish to reduce the risk of the development of dental caries in young children.