UCCOH works to more effectively to prepare dentists to meet the growing oral health needs of children with special needs, and those from underserved, high-need vulnerable populations in the Los Angeles area. By utilizing cutting-edge, evidence–based disease prevention, health promotion, and disease management tools, the SPICE-PD, IOCP, and COHWs programs will serve to prepare health care providers to address the oral health needs of children in the community, and to positively impact caregiver’s oral health knowledge and practice.

Training Programs
Strategic Partnership for Interprofessional Collaborative Education in Pediatric Dentistry

Strategic Partnership for Interprofessional Collaboration & Education in Pediatric Dentistry (SPICE-PD) was created to augment and advance the training provided through the UCLA Community Health and Advocacy Training in Pediatric Dentistry (CHAT-PD) residency program. Collaboration would occur between those in the medical, dental, nursing, and public health sectors to effectively prepare professionals to meet the growing oral health needs of children from undeserved, high-need vulnerable populations in the Los Angeles area. SPICE-PD was also established to serve as an exemplary model of academic program involvement in community systems and advocacy efforts to improve children’s oral health. Professionals and residents will be a part of on-going visits to conferences to promote and support innovative research, discuss the most current aesthetic pediatric restorative techniques in oral health, and network with other attendees to reach a broader audience and establish a more influential initiative.

Substantial disparities in children’s oral health and a lack of access to a full range of oral health/dental services exist throughout California and the US. The need for interprofessional collaboration is critical to ensure different health care provider types are engaged and prepared to address the oral health needs of children in the community. From successful implementation of the CHAT-PD program, we have strategically developed this proposal to addresses areas of high need, with goals that align with the direction in which healthcare is moving, keeping in mind the community and trainees we aim to impact.

For more information on SPICE-PD, please click HERE.
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Infant Oral Care Program

It is recommended that children receive their first dental evaluation within the first year of life. The Infant Oral Care Program (IOCP) serves children ages 0-5 at the Simms/Mann Health and Wellness Venice Family Clinic located in Santa Monica, California, providing an opportunity to educate and inform parents about their children's oral health. With this in mind, the IOCP was founded in 2010 by Dr. Francisco Ramos-Gomez, aiming to provide preventive dental care for children of families who cannot necessarily afford the treatment they would otherwise receive at a private dental practice. Facilitating access to early and regular dental care is a crucial part of any effective intervention strategy, and intervention techniques should be tailored to the community being served. The program is composed of Clinic Coordinators, Translators, Community Dental Health Coordinators, Pediatric Dentistry Residents, Medical Residents, Nurses, ACTs, and current 3rd and 4th year dental students, under the supervision of Dr. Francisco Ramos-Gomez. Each patient is seen during their Well Baby Dental Visit, in which 6 steps are thoroughly performed:
1) Caries Management by Risk Assessment (CAMBRA) Form
2) Knee-to-Knee Positioning
3) Tooth Brush Prophylaxis
4) Clinical Exam
5) Fluoride Varnish Application
6) Self-Management Goals through Motivational Interviewing.

​The goal of IOCP is to reduce caries by delivering perinatal and infant/toddler oral health prevention and education to parents/caregivers, while also offering dental practitioners information on a dental practice model in working with the youngest population of pediatric patients and gain more in depth pediatric dental experience. 

For more information on IOCP, please click HERE.