Introduction

What is a Promising Practice?

A "promising practice" is defined as a method or technique that has consistently shown results superior to those achieved with other means, when applied to a particular condition or circumstance.

A promising practice can be a service, program, function or process that a Health Center oral health program leads, administers, partners, facilitates and/or supports through collaboration with partners and stakeholders.

For many Health Center oral health providers, the term “best practice” might sound more familiar.  However, what is best in a certain field can change over time, with the advancement of technology, techniques and standards.  The phrase best practice might also imply that there is a single solution to a given situation, but this is not the case.

While no formula is available that will insure the success of every program, it is possible that approaches that work for some oral health programs can be adapted and tailored to other oral health programs.

NNOHA recognizes that oral health programs have different environments, infrastructure, cultures, availability of resources, local burden of disease and political considerations. Therefore, end-users need to critically assess the promising practice information and adapt ideas and strategies to better meet the needs of their unique Health Center service populations.

Goal

The goal of NNOHA’s Promising Practices Directory is to share promising practices between Health Centers and cultivate innovative strategies and promising practices among Health Center oral health programs to improve oral health and reduce disparities.

The following are expected outcomes for the NNOHA Promising Practices webpage:

      1. Document successful practices in Health Center oral health programs, implemented through leadership, partnership and/or collaboration.

      2. Share ideas and lessons learned from successful practices of Health Center oral health programs.

      3. Promote communication and cooperation among Health Centers on solutions to improve oral health.

Calling All Promising Practices!

Would you like to share your promising practice with other Health Center Oral Health Programs through the NNOHA Promising Practices Directory? Click on the "Submit Your Promising Practice" button above to download the submission form. Email your completed form to Maria Smith, NNOHA Project Coordinator, at maria@nnoha.org. NNOHA will review each submission. Approved submissions will be posted in the Promising Practices Directory.

Some of the content for this page has been adapted from the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) Best Practices website: http://www.astdd.org/best-practices/

ASTDD has taken the lead in promoting the development of best practices by state, territorial and community oral health programs to enhance oral health and reduce disparities.