Apr 28
2021
Capitol Dental Care Telehealth Innovation Addresses Disruption of Preventive Care
Capitol Dental Care, one of Oregon’s dental care organizations with a network of more than 700 dental providers across 18 counties, is launching an innovative technology solution to provide quality dental care to Medicaid enrollees in Oregon under the age of 14, expectant mothers, adults older than 65 years old, and members who live more than 45 miles from a Capitol provider.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an enormous disruption to the delivery of dental services that have served as the safety net for those who cannot access quality care through other means. For children on Medicaid who have depended on school-based oral health services to receive preventive dental care, distance learning has created a greater challenge for preventive care.
In order to address these and other dental care challenges, Capitol Dental Care is expanding their teledentistry visits to include at-home fluoride varnish application to the underserved communities in Oregon.
The program works as follows; once the patient schedules their teledentistry appointment at 1-800-525-6800 or by emailing members@capitoldentalcare.com, an oral hygiene kit containing a fluoride varnish packet, a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, disclosing tablet, tongue cleaner, and an oral health brochure is mailed to their home.
During their appointment, an Oregon licensed dental practitioner (dentist or expanded practice dental hygienist) will evaluate for dental concerns, provide disease assessment, collect oral health information, provide step-by-step application directions to safely apply the fluoride varnish, and deliver oral hygiene instruction.
“We are extremely excited to launch this initiative to serve those at greatest risk and most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Good oral hygiene and preventative care is crucial to overall health. And by providing this service with the addition of the fluoride application, we are helping kids, Expectant mothers, older adults, and patients with geographical barriers stay current with preventive dental care currently not available to them due to the pandemic,” says Manu Chaudhry, MS, DDS, President & Dental Director, Capitol Dental Care.