ASDOH and ASHS’ PA students participate in IPE program
Posted: March 22, 2013
Students from A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH) and ATSU’s Arizona School of Health Sciences physician assistant (PA) program came together on Feb. 14 to participate in an interprofessional education (IPE) program. With a growing oral health disparity in the United States, ATSU-ASDOH students recognized that PAs could be very beneficial in improving the oral health of children in underserved communities.
During the IPE, ATSU-ASDOH students taught the Smiles for Life curriculum to PA students. The Smiles for Life program is endorsed by the American Dental Association and is a national oral health curriculum that comprises basic oral anatomy and oral pathology. Additionally, PAs were taught how xylitol is used in deterring caries, how to screen for oral cancer, and the importance of fluoride through the application of fluoride varnish.
Participants were also given an opportunity to practice oral cancer screenings and apply fluoride varnish. “I never knew the power of fluoride, and I will never forget about it,” said Trent Tipton, PA, ’14. “The interprofessional education was a success and beneficial to PA students,” said Cuong Nguyen, D2. The other D2 ATSU-ASDOH students that coordinated the event include Sarah Wheeler, Jennifer Huynh, Daniel Areepong, Kevin To, and Yu Ong.
