URMC’s Institute for Oral Health Combines Research with Social Work

Although social work historically has played an important role in medical health care, dentistry traditionally has not included a social work model of care as part of its operation. The Eastman Institute for Oral Health at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) is beginning to change that. The Eastman Institute is a national leader in education, research, and clinical care in oral health, and for the last 15 years its social workers and researchers have been quietly making significant contributions to patient care, resident/faculty education, and program development.

For example, to determine if teledentistry is useful in reducing oral disease burden in preschool inner-city children, an intervention study is being conducted in inner-city childcare centers participating in URMC’s Health-e-Access project. The Enhancing Utilization of Oral Health Services for Underserved Children initiative is another one of the Eastman Institute’s innovative outreach/research projects whose goals are to (1) train pediatric medical residents and clinic staff to perform oral health screenings during well child visits; (2) institute systematic referrals of identified children/families to Eastman’s pediatric dental clinic; and (3) use a trained health project counselor to facilitate entry into the dental care system and/or provide case management as needed.

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