Educational Collaborations
University of Minnesota
For many years, Apple Tree has participated in the “Miniresidency in Nursing Home Care”
This course is specifically designed to teach dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants
how to deliver care more effectively in nursing homes and other long-term care environments.
Practitioners from 28 states and Canada have now attended this course since its first offering in 1991.
The Miniresidency was developed and is directed by faculty from the University of Minnesota's Oral Health
Services for Older Adults Program, winner of the 1995 American Dental Association Geriatric Oral Health Care Award.
For more information, please visit
www.dentalce.umn.edu.
Minnesota State University at Mankato
Apple Tree has been working with Lynette Engeswick and the Dental Hygiene Program at Minnesota State University at
Mankato (MSU) on several projects. Most recently, Apple Tree was asked to provide dental staff and management for
the Madelia Dental Clinic, so that it can continue to provide training for the MSU hygienists while expanding service
to low-income and special needs patients in the Southwest Minnesota area. The Madelia Community Hospital, located just
30 miles from the Mankato campus, is an ideal location for providing oral health services to the southwest region.
Plus, a local organization, Saludando Salud, provides a community outreach worker and interpretation services that link
the clinic to the Latino population. Apple Tree plans to add mobile care to the Madelia Dental Clinic so that it can
offer on-site dental care to Head Start centers and nursing homes in the region.
For more information, see the article Apple Tree Now Serves the Madelia Clinic.
Normandale Community College
In order to create more dental access options for patients, Dr. Jayne Cernohous, Dental Director of Apple Tree’s Twin Cities
Program, and Dr. Colleen Brickle, Program Chair of Dental Hygiene at Normandale Community College, and Lynette Engeswick,
Chair of Dental Hygiene at Minnesota State University at Mankato collaborated on a Clinical Dental Education Innovation Project.
Funded by the Minnesota Department of Health, the project is called “Expanded Functions through Teledentistry.” This project
included a survey of dental hygienists and their interest in community dentistry, a new course offering that featured teledentistry
training, and new exposure of dental hygienists to special needs patients. Teledentistry examinations were piloted at two elementary
schools, and a forum on new “collaborative agreement” legislation informed hygienists how to take advantage of recent legislation
authorizing hygienists to take on new roles in community dentistry. For more information, see the article
Clinical Education Partnership Creates New Roles for Hygienists.
Minneapolis Community and Technical College (MCTC)
Apple Tree is a partner in the Dental Careers Institute Project, a program made possible by a grant from the Minnesota Job Skills
Partnership. MCTC, together with Health Partners Dental, Park Dental, and Apple Tree, is creating a education and training plan
to meet the needs of urban citizens and immigrants. Particularly, the Dental Careers Institute will create a recruitment plan that
targets Spanish, Asian and East African immigrants, and develop a series of continuing education classes in expanded services for
dental hygienists and dental assistants, and culturally-focused care for dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and office
personnel. The goal of the project is to recruit more dental professionals who will serve low-income, immigrant, and elderly communities. |