Dental Champion

The oral health team led by the dental champion can lead the practice’s oral health efforts and facilitate program’s sustainability. The dental champion can be responsible for creating oral health awareness, establishing practice protocols, ensuring quality documentation, initiating/tracking dental referrals, and more. Following are some potential responsibilities:

• Create oral health awareness among staff and with patients/families.
• Educate staff and families on the importance of oral healthcare and the connection between oral health and overall health.
• Locate or develop education about oral health to share with families.
• Participate in continuous learning about oral health.
• Be motivated to share the message about the successes of oral health, mentor other office staff, and tackle challenges as they arise.
• Assume a leadership role by creating an environment for open discussion to work toward consensus and achieve standardized care.
• Foster the collaboration between the pediatric office and dental professionals in the community.
• Develop procedures to document the dental home in the medical record, develop a dental provider resource list, initiate/track dental referrals, etc.
• Ensure quality documentation about oral health.
• Develop procedures for tracking, stocking, ordering, storing, and handling of fluoride varnish.
• Encourage providers and families to advocate for the oral health of children.