Promising Practice – A method or technique that has consistently shown results superior to those achieved with other means, when applied to a particular condition or circumstance.

The Promising Practices collected by NNOHA have been submitted by members and their organizations. 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.

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.

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.

Does your oral health program have a great way to integrate oral health into primary care or recruit and retain providers? From simple to major program changes, NNOHA seeks examples of how Health Center and other safety-net oral health providers have implemented changes in their programs to improve the oral health of their patients.

NNOHA especially looks for promising practices within the following categories:

• Dental Program Management (Including: Start Up and Expansion, Financial Management, and Health Information Technology)

• Clinical Excellence (Including: Quality Improvement, Integrated Care, Risk Management, Prevention, and Age Group-Specific Practices)

• Access to Care (Including: Workforce Retention and Recruitment, Access Points, Partnerships, and Providing Services in Rural Areas)

If you have a practice you would like to share please send us an email at info@nnoha.org. We would be eager to hear about your innovative program!

Why not say “best practice”? 

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.