Safety Net Dental Certificate Courses

There are 4 total elective courses that encompass the SNDP certificate program, including: Advanced Public Health, Safety Net Practice Management, Safety Net Dental Leadership, and Impacts of Poverty on Health care Consumerism. Course deliverables are structured so that learners can apply new concepts through multiple engagement pathways for the 21st century learner, including: virtual simulation, evidence-based clinical case studies, visual video training modules, and self-efficacy assessments for course modules that will contribute to the development of an improvement plan to sustain and enhance the application of their learning from this course in their perspective Health care settings. These courses are required for completion of the Certificate in Safety Net Dental Practice.

An example timeline (PDF) has been provided to demonstrate a potential schedule for course completion over the duration of a 4-year pre-doctoral dental training program; this is not a required sequence.

Student Perspectives

Safety Net Dental Practice Certificate Courses - Student Perspectives

  • DPOH 801 - Advanced Dental Public Health: (2 credits) This course is designed to prepare dental students as advocates for oral health policy and dental public health issues. It uses dental public health curriculum developed by the American Association of Public Health Dentistry(AAPHD) with funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration.
  • DPOH 802 - Safety Net Practice Management: (3 credits) This course is the first of two designed to advance students' knowledge & application of business practices & leadership principles for delivering dental care to safety net populations. DPOH 802 builds on STOMA 905 Practice Management I (but is not a prerequisite to) in that students will demonstrate understanding of safety net dental practice models; their national availability and distribution, policies governing practice, sustainable business models, & partnerships that support successful practice models. Students will demonstrate practice management excellence in settings that include community health centers, private practices, corporate practices, public/community clinics, and charitable care organizations.
  • DPOH 803 - Safety Net Dental Leadership: (3 credits) This course is designed to advance students' knowledge & application of business practices & leadership principles for delivering dental care to safety net populations. Students will demonstrate understanding of safety net dental practice models; policies governing practice, sustainable business models, & partnerships that support successful practice models. Students will demonstrate practice management excellence in settings that include community health centers, private practices, corporate practices, public/community clinics, and charitable care organizations.
  • DPOH 804 - Impacts of Poverty on Health Care Consumerism: (3 credits) This course provides an introduction to poverty and Health care consumerism. The course explores the relationship between poverty and clinical impact on population health in the United States. Content will address determinants of health as it relates to Health care consumerism and health status trajectories for the US population living in poverty. The course is intended to equip the clinical student with the patient management skills necessary to reduce the risks poverty plays in their Health care outcomes.