East Carolina University
Office of Research Administration
Greenville, NC
United States
East Carolina University (ECU) has a history of supporting changes in oral health systems and engaging with the veteran community, recently completing a project funded by CareQuest Institute, which focused on the use of emergency rooms for non-traumatic dental conditions in North Carolina. The School of Dental Medicine at ECU, established in 2011, was created to train dental students and develop leaders in the dental profession who are engaged with the community. ECU operates a network of Community Service. Learning Centers (CSLCs) throughout North Carolina. These centers are run by faculty, staff, dental residents, and 4th-year dental (D4) students. The geographic region served by ECU’s School of Dental Medicine includes sites that provide access to underserved communities across North Carolina, including the veteran community. In response to a high need area at the CSLC in Sylva, western North Carolina, ECU launched the Smiles for Vets program in 2018. This program, which provides both routine and emergency care, identified a need for an updated care model for the veteran community.
ECU plans to establish a Lived Experience Advisory Group. This group will inform a proposed care model that integrates primary care across medical and dental settings and utilizes community resources and care coordination. The advisory group, composed of veterans and family members, will share barriers and gaps to oral health care for Veterans in NC, highlight community resources and supports, address opportunities to strengthen care coordination in communities served by ECU’s School of Dental Medicine, set priorities for policy action, and identify data elements that can be used to determine outcomes of care, economic costs, and costs avoided due to prevention and early intervention.
In addition to the findings of the advisory group, the care model will be informed by
veterans through the data collected from their visits at ECU’s CSLCs. This data includes dental treatment and medical history specific to diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Data unique to ECU’s work will also inform the care model including quality of life factors like dental pain, difficulty chewing, embarrassment, self reported oral health status, reason for last dental visit, forgone dental care, and productivity loss.
ECU is requesting $125,000 for this work, which is less than 1% of the organization’s overall budget. Approximately $80,000 will be allocated to support administrative costs, approximately $20,000 for travel, approximately $10,000 for advisory group stipends, and the remaining amount will cover indirect expenses.
This proposal is one of ten selected finalists for the Expanding Access and Equity for Veterans Oral Health RFP.