Oral Health Intervention in Adult Primary Care

Description

This study is a Stage III cRCT to test the efficacy of multi-level interventions at the practice- and provider-level to address low dental utilization (attendance) among Medicaid-enrolled older adults 55 years or older attending non-urgent primary care visits (PCV) in MetroHealth practice settings. Twelve practices will be randomized into two arms: A) Intervention arm will receive the multi-level intervention that includes: 1. Practice-level: EHR changes to include: ask, advise, assess, and connect (AAAC) strategies; 2. Provider-level: Medical staff (MA, nurse): Training in the AAAC process and complete AAAC for enrolled older adults; Clinicians (physician/nurse practitioner): CSM-based education (didactic), skills training (video training with standardized patients), and view completed AAAC in EHR to deliver core oral health (OH) facts to older adults, reinforce importance of dental visits, and document in EHR that OH facts were delivered. B) Control arm will receive, at the provider-level only (clinicians), non-theory-based information about retaining a healthy mouth using the ADA Mouth Healthy Series and deliver standard OH care for patients. Older Adults will be followed at 12 months and 24 months to determine if the participant had any dental attendance. The primary objective is to test the efficacy of the practice level EHR strategy to ask \[OH risk assessment\], advise \[going to dentist\], assess \[willingness for referral\], and connect \[eReferral, resources\] together with clinician theory-based education to communicate OH facts versus clinician alone (standard oral health care) in increasing dental attendance in primary care settings. The secondary objectives are to assess oral hygiene behavior, Geriatric Oral Health Quality of life, biometric measures (BP, serum cholesterol, blood glucose, hbA1c) abstracted from EHR data, potential mediators and moderators to investigate pathways that affect the primary and secondary outcomes, and assess implementation strategies: adoption, reach, fidelity, and maintenance of providers and practices that affect older adult primary and secondary outcomes. The hypothesis is that medical staff completing the AAAC strategy and clinicians with improved OH knowledge (chronicity, systemic effects) will deliver consistent oral health messaging to older adults at PCVs that will result in increased preventive and restorative dental utilization compared to those providers delivering standard care.

Conditions

Dental Caries, Dry Mouth, Periodontal Diseases, Bleeding Gum

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

This study is a Stage III cRCT to test the efficacy of multi-level interventions at the practice- and provider-level to address low dental utilization (attendance) among Medicaid-enrolled older adults 55 years or older attending non-urgent primary care visits (PCV) in MetroHealth practice settings. Twelve practices will be randomized into two arms: A) Intervention arm will receive the multi-level intervention that includes: 1. Practice-level: EHR changes to include: ask, advise, assess, and connect (AAAC) strategies; 2. Provider-level: Medical staff (MA, nurse): Training in the AAAC process and complete AAAC for enrolled older adults; Clinicians (physician/nurse practitioner): CSM-based education (didactic), skills training (video training with standardized patients), and view completed AAAC in EHR to deliver core oral health (OH) facts to older adults, reinforce importance of dental visits, and document in EHR that OH facts were delivered. B) Control arm will receive, at the provider-level only (clinicians), non-theory-based information about retaining a healthy mouth using the ADA Mouth Healthy Series and deliver standard OH care for patients. Older Adults will be followed at 12 months and 24 months to determine if the participant had any dental attendance. The primary objective is to test the efficacy of the practice level EHR strategy to ask \[OH risk assessment\], advise \[going to dentist\], assess \[willingness for referral\], and connect \[eReferral, resources\] together with clinician theory-based education to communicate OH facts versus clinician alone (standard oral health care) in increasing dental attendance in primary care settings. The secondary objectives are to assess oral hygiene behavior, Geriatric Oral Health Quality of life, biometric measures (BP, serum cholesterol, blood glucose, hbA1c) abstracted from EHR data, potential mediators and moderators to investigate pathways that affect the primary and secondary outcomes, and assess implementation strategies: adoption, reach, fidelity, and maintenance of providers and practices that affect older adult primary and secondary outcomes. The hypothesis is that medical staff completing the AAAC strategy and clinicians with improved OH knowledge (chronicity, systemic effects) will deliver consistent oral health messaging to older adults at PCVs that will result in increased preventive and restorative dental utilization compared to those providers delivering standard care.

Multi-Level Interventions to Reduce Oral Health Disparities Among Adults in Primary Care Settings

Oral Health Intervention in Adult Primary Care

Condition
Dental Caries
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Cleveland

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44106

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * Use Epic EHR
  • * Have older adults covered by Medicaid
  • * Located within 60 miles of the CWRU research offices
  • * Do not float between practices
  • * Plan not to leave practice within a year
  • * Provide a signed and dated consent form
  • * Have a minimum of 2 patient-care days per week
  • * Do not float between practices
  • * Plan not to leave practice within a year
  • * Provide signed and dated consent form
  • * Enrolled in CareSource Medicaid Plan
  • * Female or male aged 55 years or older
  • * Attending non-urgent primary care visits (PCV) at enrolled site
  • * Provide signed and dated informed consent form
  • * Planning to stay in the immediate area for the next year
  • * Enrolled in the Adult Wellness Registry
  • * The presence of any serious medical health condition (such as dementia or other cognitive disorder not allowing them to participate) where the clinician indicates they should not participate.
  • * The presence of any serious mental health disorders such as schizophrenia where the clinician indicates they should not participate.

Ages Eligible for Study

55 Years to

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Collaborators and Investigators

Case Western Reserve University,

Suchitra Nelson, PhD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Case Western Reserve University

Study Record Dates

2028-10-30