Northwest Tribal Dental Support Center

Program Goal

The overall goal of the Northwest Tribal Dental Support Center (NTDSC) is to provide training, quality improvement, and technical assistance to the 42 IHS, Tribal and Urban dental programs within the Portland Area, and to ensure that the services of the NTDSC result in measurable improvement in the oral health status of the AI/AN people served in the Portland Area. The objectives of NTDSC are:

1. Assist in the implementation of a robust oral health surveillance system that monitors the disease burden of the AI/AN population in the Portland Area. Data from the surveillance system will be used to identify vulnerable populations and plan/evaluate clinical and community-based prevention programs.
2. Ensure quality and efficient care is provided in Portland Area dental programs through standardization of care and implementation of public health principles to improve dental access and oral health outcomes.
3. Expand and support clinical and community-based oral health promotion/ disease prevention initiatives in high-risk groups to improve oral health.
4. Provide continuing dental education (CDE) to all Portland Area dental staff at a level that approaches state requirements for Washington, Oregon, and Idaho The objectives of NTDSC are supported through ongoing communication with local dental programs via site visits, email groups, telephone/zoom consultation, Indian Country Oral Health ECHOs, a collaborative with select dental programs focused on Minimally Invasive Dentistry (MID), and the annual Portland Area Dental Meeting (PADM).

Contact Information

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