Community Dental Health Coordinator Certificate Program (Fall 2023)

The Community Dental Health Coordinator (CDHC) certificate program is designed to provide students with a practical and theoretical bases for assisting in the reduction of disparities in dental health. The CDHC can perform preventative services and community-based outreach duties. In addition to oral health promotion and disease prevention, they can interact directly with populations who are at risk for dental disease but are unsure of how to access a dental program.

 

CDHCs are trained to interact, with cultural competence, in the dentally underserved communities in which they work. They understand people, language, and barriers to oral health in those communities; in many cases they already know the people with whom they will work. CDHC training focuses on community outreach, coordination of care, educational and social interventions in the community, and prevention. 

 

The CDHC program is taught in phases over the course of one year and includes a 60-hour internship.

 

This program is designed for dental assistants and dental hygienists working in the field or in a credit bearing dental program at Cape Cod Community College.