Delta Dental of Arizona (DDAZ) is committing nearly $300,000 to Phoenix Children’s Hospital (PCH) to create the Delta Dental Oral Health Education Program. The two-year pilot will allow PCH to hire an oral health educator who will run the program and provide oral health training to clinical staff, patients, and their families.
The program also will focus on improving the medical outcomes of children currently undergoing treatment at PCH’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (CCBD). Oral health protocols will become standardized for all patients with peripherally inserted central catheter lines in the CCBD.
“Through the Delta Dental Oral Health Education Program, an oral health educator will help inform patients, their families, and hospital staff about essential oral health practices, which can improve outcomes for children undergoing treatment at Phoenix Children’s Hospital who may not be able to prioritize oral health amid other diagnoses and treatment protocols,” said Allan Allford, CEO of DDAZ.
“This partnership with Phoenix Children’s Hospital allows us to carry out our mission, to improve lives by promoting optimal oral health, and we couldn’t be more excited to share the news with the community,” said Allford.
The Delta Dental Oral Health Education Program also will include a hospital-wide, 18-month assessment of the oral health needs of patients in the hospital. The project will be facilitated by the oral health educator with a goal of directing prioritization of the Delta Dental Oral Health Education Program into additional areas and patient populations within the hospital.
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