The American Association for Community Dental Programs (AACDP) focuses on supporting efforts to promote vulnerable populations’ oral health at the community level. AACDP (n.d.a) offers guidance and information support for those participating in program development and implementation. Another critical area of activity is the organization of conferences and professional events to strengthen links between stakeholders and potential partners in health promotion projects (AACDP, n.d.a). The organization is explicit about these goals, but no official mission statement is present.
Membership at AACDP is another interesting topic for discussion. AACDP (n.d.b) offers free membership, and there are numerous benefits, including access to the organization’s publications and information on annual events for oral hygiene professionals. The absence of membership fees is what I find intriguing. Becoming a member of AACDP interests me due to the opportunity to receive updates on state of the art in dental health community program development. I am convinced that this informedness and belonging to the community of professionals that wish to improve the nation’s dental health and hygiene skills are extremely beneficial for an individual in the public healthcare field.
Multiple areas of the guide can be helpful when working on the Unit 4 assignment. This week’s assignment is concerned with the development of program implementation strategies and target audience teaching plans. In the section titled Step 4B, AACDP (n.d.a) explains the process of assigning responsibility for particular objectives, determining the required resources, and setting due dates, so this area will be the most helpful. Another relevant section is Step 4A in which AACDP (n.d.a) exemplifies the identification of programs’ separate components. As a public health hygienist, I will probably resort to the most recent version of this guide during participation in health promotion programs. The guide will help me to decide where to seek support to implement good ideas regarding spreading dental hygiene knowledge in my city or state.
References
American Association for Community Dental Programs. (n.d.a). A guide for developing and enhancing community oral health programs. Author. Web.
American Association for Community Dental Programs. (n.d.b). Membership. Web.