Dental Transformation Initiative

The CRIHB Local Dental Pilot Project (LDPP) is funded by a grant from the California Department of Health Care Services as part of their sweeping Dental Transformation Initiative (DTI). The goal of the DTI is to reduce dental decay in Californians under age 21. CRIHB’s LDPP is piloting what we call “medical-dental integration” and care coordination. The participating Tribal Health Programs have hired an Oral Health Care Coordinator who is responsible for seeing children during primary care well-child visits where they do a Caries Risk Assessment and apply fluoride varnish before referring the child to the dental clinic for further care. Then they use care coordination skills to help the child and parents to overcome barriers to receiving dental care. The project period runs through December 31, 2020.