Montana/Wyoming Dental Support Center (DSC)DSC will provide support, guidance, and resources to dental programs that serve approximately 114,000 AL/AN members of 14 tribes who reside in MT and WY. - Project Summary The Montana/Wyoming Dental Support Center (DSC) is a collaborative project between the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and the Billings Area Indian Health Service. The DSC provides support, guidance, and resources to dental programs that serve approximately 114,000 AI/AN members of 14 tribes who reside in Montana and Wyoming. The DSC will 1) provide support, guidance, resources, and training opportunities to the Indian Health Service (IHS), Tribal, and Urban (I/T/U) dental programs within the Billings Area, and 2) ensure that the services of the support center and the dental programs result in measurable improvements to the oral health status of the American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) patients served. To achieve the goal of improving oral health outcomes, the DSC will work collaboratively with national, area, and local leadership to incorporate key strategies into program planning of all IHS/Tribal dental programs in the Billings Area. Key strategies in this proposal will include: 1) enhance training opportunities for all levels of dental staff, 2) enhance community outreach, 3) enhance clinical/community-based health promotion/disease prevention (HP/DP) activities, and 4) provide support, guidance, and resources to implementing work plans that improve oral health outcomes. The Montana/Wyoming Dental Support Center is a critical resource to the Billings Area. For over 24 years (2001-25) the DSC has provided a conduit of information dissemination between the field programs, the area office, and IHS headquarters. The DSC works directly with field programs to implement and enhance clinic and community- based oral HP/DP programs by utilizing strategies and activities that deliver a high-level, of high-quality dental services, and through improving access to care. The Billings Area faces several challenges in fulfilling its mission toward improving the oral health status of the AI/AN people serve. Consistent assessment of programs served reveal that: 1) field programs lack the necessary resources (facilities and personnel) to meet the needs of the communities served, and 2) dental workforce is not adequately prepared for delivery of care in complex settings, and 3) there are prominent disparities in the oral health status of the AI/AN people served. Assessments also identified prevention-based youth programs and access to dental appointments as priorities. The DSC is requesting a total of $440,000 per year to provide support, guidance, and resources to local and area dental programs to assist in implementing or enhancing strategies and activities designed to meet the needs of the programs and communities served. The overarching goal is to improve the oral health of AI/AN people served in the Billings Area. The continuation of funding for Dental Support Center is vital to its success, without it, the Billings Area lacks the necessary infrastructure and resources to effectively coordinate programs and to improve oral health outcomes.
