A Guide for Developing and Enhancing Community Oral Health Programs (the Guide) was produced by the American Association for Community Dental Programs (AACDP), a national organization focused on the needs and interests of public oral health programs in communities across the nation. Through its Web site, discussion list, and publications, AACDP offers information, guidance, and technical assistance designed to promote community oral health programs. AACDP also promotes communication between stakeholders interested in community oral health activities and sponsors an annual conference that focuses on issues of interest to local oral health program managers and staff. The conference is held in conjunction with the National Oral Health Conference, thereby creating a synergy of opportunities for formal continuing education and networking with other professionals who have expertise in community public oral health program operations, research, policy, and funding

Other AACDP publications include the following:

• Seal America: The Prevention Invention. By developing this dental sealant manual, AACDP contributed to successful efforts to retain major funding for state and local oral health programs through the Maternal and Child Health Block grant.
  
• Model Framework for Community Oral Health Programs. This document integrates oral health into each of the 10 essential public health services accepted by the National Association of City and County Health Officers. The document provides a conceptual framework and theoretical support for the integration of oral health and public health.

For information on how to join AACDP to work with others in support of community oral health programs, visit http://www.aacdp.com.

The Guide is the result of the commitment and efforts of a broad spectrum of oral health and public health experts including state, county, and city oral health directors and consultants, a representative of the Indian Health Service, and the chief dental officer of a multi-site rural community health center system. AACDP members and colleagues who led development of the Guide and contributed significantly to writing and reviewing the document include:

Robert D. Jones, D.D.S.
Chair, AACDP Local Oral Health Program Guide Committee
President, Maryland Association of County and City Dental Public Health Officers

M. Teresa Cunningham, R.D.H., M.S.
Coordinator, AACDP Local Oral Health Program Guide Committee
Consultant, Dental Public Health

Myron Allukian Jr., D.D.S., M.P.H.
Oral Health Consultant, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and Lutheran Medical Center
Former Dental Director, City of Boston

Patrick Blahut, D.D.S., M.P.H.
Deputy Director, Indian Health Service Program

Gordon Empey, D.M.D., M.P.H.
State Executive Dental Consultant, Oral Health Program, Office of Family Health, Oregon Department of Human Services

Lawrence F. Hill, D.D.S., M.P.H.
Dental Director, Cincinnati Health Department, Greater Cincinnati Oral Health Council
President, AACDP

Susan Sanzi-Schaedel, R.D.H., M.P.H.
Program Manager, School and Community Dental Health, Multnomah County Health Department, Oregon

Harvey Wallace, Ph.D.
National Association of Local Boards of Health
Head, Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, Northern Michigan University

Scott Wolpin, D.M.D.
Chief Dental Officer, Choptank Community Health System, Eastern Shore of Maryland
Past President, Association of Clinicians for the Underserved

This project could not have been completed without the support of the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau, and, specifically, without the assistance and encouragement of Mark Nehring, D.D.S., Oral Health Coordinator. Katrina Holt, M.P.H., M.S., R.D., director of the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center, also provided valuable assistance. Thanks also to the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) for providing meeting support to AACDP’s Local Oral Health Program Guide committee. Finally, we would like to thank Health Systems Research, Inc. staff, and in particular Judith Gallagher, R.N., Ed.M., M.P.A., Maternal, Child and Community Health director, for help writing and organizing the Guide.

The online Guide was produced by Mindy Nash, Web Developer, National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC), with assistance from the following OHRC staff: Ruth Barzel, M.A., senior writer/editor; Katrina Holt, M.P.H., M.S., R.D., director; and John Richards, Information Technology director.