CHICAGO, February 18 — Oral Health America (OHA) is excited to announce a partnership with Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) College of Pharmacy for Tooth Wisdom for Pharmacists, an innovative new project for providing older adults with needed oral health information. NSU College of Pharmacy will be hosting a pilot training session in June 2015 with community pharmacists. The session will also guide the creation of an online toolkit with educational information designed to assist pharmacists with providing information about oral health-related topics important to the overall health and wellness of older adults.
“NSU’s College of Pharmacy is excited to be working with OHA to educate pharmacists in the area of oral health. Community pharmacists are the most accessible health care professionals in the United States and uniquely situated to deliver quality information and care to older adult patients seeking assistance with oral health problems,” said Lisa Deziel, Pharm.D., Ph.D., Dean of NSU’s College of Pharmacy.
A majority of older adults, 70%, do not have dental insurance, which can severely limit their access to dentists. Many may interact with pharmacists on a regular basis, however, making pharmacists an ideal oral health resource. In addition to a curriculum to train pharmacists about oral health for older adults and the online toolkit, the project will include the creation of plain language materials pharmacists can have readily available at the pharmacy counter. A grant from the Dental Trade Alliance Foundation provided the funding for this initiative.
“I am delighted to work closely on this collaborative project with OHA,” said Ann Eshenaur Spolarich, RDH, Ph.D., Principal Investigator for the project. “Collectively, the oral health needs of many older adults are tremendous, especially for those without a dental home, and negatively impact function and quality of life. This project will allow us to partner with pharmacists to build an inter-professional strategic alliance to assist pharmacists with counseling older adults, and ultimately, to help improve oral health among this growing segment of our population.”
To learn more about Tooth Wisdom for Pharmacists, please contact Program Manager Dora Fisher at dora.fisher@oralhealthamerica.org or (312) 836-9900 or visit www.oralhealthamerica.org.
