A school-based, interprofessional approach to sustaining oral health on an Island community

A school-based oral health promotion program was established on a Bahamian island that lacks access to dental care. An interprofessional team of dental hygiene (DH) and occupational therapy (OT) students and faculty delivered an annual service program from 2016 to 2018 based on the Ecological Model of School-Based Health Promotion. The interprofessional team provided oral preventative services and class-based lessons to children to reinforce positive oral health behaviors. Efforts to sustain the program involved partnering with the Bahamian community stakeholders to expand networks of influence, developing effective communication systems, and integrating oral health into the school curriculum. The interprofessional approach enabled a sustained and comprehensive program. This report describes the unique DH and OT interprofessional collaboration and program sustainability efforts.