1509-11501

This investment will support the Oral Health Forum (OHF), formally known as the Chicago Community Oral Health Forum, to continue the implementation of a school-based oral health program that integrates oral health education, on-site assessment, the delivery of basic preventive services, and a referral system that connects students with acute oral health needs to providers within their area. Through this partnership, OHF will continue its partnership with the Chicago Dept. of Public Health and Chicago Public Schools to expand the reach of this collaborative program to targeted schools that have demonstrated the highest need for oral health care. In addition to providing oral health care, OHF will use this next year of funding to more fully engage parents and families in the process of delivery care to their children as well as informing them of the importance of oral health as it relates to over health. Specifically, OHF will continue to spread the oral health curriculum designed in partnership with CPS, focusing on 3 schools in the most high-need areas; develop and implement an incentive model for school by engaging their local wellness councils and providing min-grants to encourage participation; engage private dentists in its efforts to implement an effective case management process by providing focused trainings and information-gathering sessions to local private dentists; improve family engagement around oral health by conducting focus groups to identify the barriers families face that prevent them from accessing appropriate dental care; and partnering with CPS and CDPH to analyze the impact of oral health services and education on academic progress, focusing on attendance at the current time. $247,964 will be used to support personnel and partner time associated with the implementation of the school-based oral health program and its outcome evaluation, communications and marketing materials developed in order to demonstrate the importance of oral health and the effectiveness of OHF’s approach to this work, local and national travel necessary to spread learnings and improve the processes necessary for this work, and administrative costs associate with this project’s implementation. This proposal aligns with the Oral Health 2020 Goal of incorporating oral health into the primary education system and the target that, by 2020, oral health is incorporated into the school systems of the 10 largest school districts.