Siobhian Sprott, DDS, MPA, MPH

2020-2021

Joseph L. Henry Oral Health Fellow

Dental Director, Franciscan Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA

Siobhian Sprott, DDS, MPA, MPH is currently Dental Director at Franciscan Children's Hospital in Boston. Previously she was Chief Resident in Pediatric Dentistry at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, MA. She worked as a general dentist in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia for 10 years. Dr. Sprott strives to make public health an integral part of her clinical practice; she has a strong motivation for understanding oral health care delivery from an organizational management perspective that engages the community. She has been affiliated with the DC Pediatric Oral Health Coalition, an alliance that strives to improve oral health access and care for children in Washington, DC. Dr. Sprott received her dental degree from Howard University College of Dentistry in 2008 and completed her residency in general dentistry at Howard University Hospital in 2009. She also earned both her BS and Master of Public Administration degrees from Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, LA, in 2002 and 2004 respectively.

 

Learn more about The Joseph L. Henry Oral Health Fellowship in Minority Health Policy

"Improving Access to Oral Healthcare in Underserved Pediatric Population through Education"

Presenter: 

Siobhian M. B. Sprott, DDS, MPA – Joseph L. Henry Oral Health Fellow in Minority Health Policy, Harvard Medical School

Project Title:

“Improving Access to Oral Healthcare in Underserved Pediatric Population through Education”

Host Organization: 

American Dental Education Association (ADEA).

Objectives:

To evaluate and assess the current CODA standards for Advanced Pediatric Dental Education for their feasibility in addressing access to care within underserved pediatric populations and current educational value to advanced pediatric dental education training programs.

Background: 

Oral diseases pose a significant burden to vulnerable populations across the United States, where multiple disparities exist. In pediatric populations, these disparities have transitioned away from financial barriers to with the passage of the Affordable Care Act and its identification of children’s oral health as an essential benefit. Despite this, untreated dental caries within Hispanic children and Black adolescents is higher than that of non-Hispanic white children and adolescents and the level of disease severity is also higher amongst these two minority groups.

Academic Dental Institutions play an important role in addressing this disparity by serving as ‘Dental Safety Net Providers’. The standards that guide these institutions to provide the level of care to these communities is established by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) with the great majority of that care being provided at the pre-doctoral level. However, at that educational level, there is typically limited exposure to pediatric dentistry, leading to institutions playing less of a role as safety net organizations within the pediatric population.

The purpose of this project is to provide recommendations to CODA which may be used to guide curriculum development in advanced pediatric dental residency programs to include specific programs which increase access to oral healthcare.

Methods:                

  1. Performed a literature review to evaluate existing and proposed CODA standards and their intent. During this review, four standards were identified within the proposed guidelines which contained language that could lend itself to addressing access to care issues.
  2. Collaborated with experts in the field of dental education to identify key areas in addressing access to oral healthcare through education programs.
  3. Constructed a survey instrument within Qualtrics which was then piloted. Based on feedback form the survey pilot, the survey instrument was modified and then launched to the Program Directors and/or Department Chairs of 60 CODA accredited pediatric dental residency programs and the CODA manager for pediatric dentistry.

Results:

Our surveys (launched on April 15th), is still in progress. It is slated to close on May 5th, at which time data analysis and interpretation will be completed.

Future Direction: 

Based on the analysis of the data, a policy brief will be prepared for use by ADEA in their advocacy work.

Preceptor: 

Tita Gray, Ed.D, Senior Vice President of Access, Diversity and Inclusion, ADEA (principal) and Carolyn Booker, PhD, Senior Vice President for Educational Pathways, ADEA