CDHC Learning Opportunity 2024

In partnership with the American Dental Association (ADA), Zufall Health is offering Community Dental Health Coordinator Certification through a remote learning program.  

What is a Community Dental Health Coordinator? 

CDHCs are community health workers with dental skills, and they are members of the dental team. They focus on case management, navigation, oral health education and promotion, motivational interviewing, and community mapping. Their expertise links patients into available, but underutilized, dental care. 

CDHC Education and Training 

CDHCs are trained to interact, with cultural competence, in the dentally underserved communities in which they work. They understand the people, language, and barriers to oral health in those communities; in many cases they already know the people with whom they will work. The CDHC training focuses on community outreach, coordination of care, educational and social interventions in the community, and prevention. 

CDHCs are trained to: 

• Work under a dentist's supervision, and within the confines of state dental practice acts, in clinics, schools, and other public health settings with people of similar ethnic and cultural backgrounds. 
• Collect information to assist dentists in triaging patients Address social, environmental, and health literacy issues. 
• Provide dental health education and help people develop goals to enhance their oral health. 
• Coordinate care in accordance with a dentist's instructions. 
• Help patients navigate the complexities of the health care system 

CDHC Curriculum Outline 

The CDHC curriculum was developed by experts in education, public health, and dentistry to meet the core competencies. 

The educational components of the curriculum are designed for online delivery over an 8-month period, followed by the design and performance of a demonstration project for student skill development and evaluation. The ADA developed the community health worker–related courses and the dental-related elements of the curriculum. 

Elements of the CDHC program include: 

• Basics of Public Health and Outreach 
• Communication and Cultural Competence 
• Motivational Interviewing Skills 
• Legal and Ethical Issues 
• Developing Advocacy and Intervention Programs 

Thanks to a generous donation by Liberty Dental Plans, full scholarships are available for 10-15 candidates selected to participate in the program this year. 

Our sponsors are interested in promoting this opportunity to New Jersey residents, but residents of all states are invited to apply.