Dental Preventive Clinical Support

The purpose of the Dental Preventive and Clinical Support Center Program is to combine existing resources and infrastructure with IHS Headquarters, IHS Area resources, and dental support centers to address broad challenges and opportunities in the dental field. Through collaborative efforts with the IHS Division of Oral Health (DOH), the dental support centers will address two priority goals:Supporting, guiding, training, and enhancing IHS/Tribal/Urban (I/T/U) dental programs within their Area(s).Ensuring that the services of the support centers and the I/T/U/ dental programs result in documented and measurable improvements or outcomes in the oral health of the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) patients served.The primary function of a support center is not to provide clinical care but rather to support clinical care by promoting oral health initiatives, training, supporting oral health screenings, and providing materials. Projects will focus on support for dental programs in a specific region or Area, rather than focusing on one locale or on clinical or preventive care alone. Well-designed support centers will improve and document oral health outcomes for communities, by promoting IHS DOH oral health initiatives to oral health programs.