In honor of National Dental Hygiene Month, the Minnesota Oral Health Coalition, Normandale Community College, and the Minnesota Dental Hygienists’ Association announce the establishment of a Collaborative Dental Hygiene Practice Toolkit on the Minnesota Oral Health Coalition website. The importance of the Toolkit is significant and far-reaching.

The Collaborative Dental Hygiene Practice (CDHP) Toolkit originated at Normandale Community College as part of a 5-year U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration grant. Dr. Colleen Brickle, Dean of Health Sciences · Normandale Community College states, “The grant brought together 18 dedicated oral healthcare professionals committed to moving collaborative dental hygiene practice (CDHP) forward. These professionals met quarterly for five years on many initiatives. One of the products produced was the contents of this CDHP Toolkit”.

Maintaining the availability of these valuable resources will empower those interested in collaborative practice. Three examples of many, resources found in the CDHP Toolkit include:

* Provides in-depth information on starting a collaborative practice, to include a collaborative agreement template.

* Describes one Minnesota dental hygienists journey toward a successful collaboration with a dentist.

* Offers guidance on how to navigate the financial aspects of collaborative dental hygiene practice.

Press release - https://www.minnesotaoralhealthcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CDHP-Toolkit-Release-Final.pdf

On the Minnesota Oral Health Coalition website:

https://www.minnesotaoralhealthcoalition.org/collaborative-dental-hygiene-practice-tool-kit/