A Mouthful of History

This project will establish high levels of oral health literacy that is meant to translate into improved overall health for all individuals and communities across the lifespan by creating accessible and easily disseminated educational modules that combine the health sciences, STEM, and the humanities. Modules will be tailored for different grade levels to ensure that learners are not only receiving developmentally appropriate materials, but that they have opportunities to reengage with the modules at various points along their educational trajectories. P-12 learners will gain an understanding of how oral health care has progressed and how they too can fit into the story of the profession, whether that means becoming better patients through learning about proper oral health care or by starting on the path to join the dental profession after learning about its importance and impact on the world around them. While dentistry has progressed since its professional foundation in 1840, many Americans still experience poor oral health and related poor overall health including many chronic health conditions. Our project goals will be operationalized through the following three specific aims: Aim 1. Develop educational modules exploring the past, present, and future of oral health care and the dental profession that will improve oral health and increase awareness of pathways to join the profession. Aim 2. Disseminate educational modules to P-12 audiences. Aim 3. Evaluate the impact of the educational modules.