Below is the Oral Health Literacy and Education section of the Maryland Oral Health Plan, 2026-2030. Click here to download the full Maryland Oral Health Plan
Oral Health Literacy and Education
Providing accurate and easy-to-understand information about how oral health is vital to improving the overall health of Marylanders. This includes providing information in languages in addition to English. Collaborating with oral health providers and other community health providers will help to increase the public’s understanding of how oral health affects overall health and quality of life.
Goal One: Increase the ability of individuals to find, understand and use health information and services to inform oral health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.
Strategy One: Increase individuals’ understanding of the importance of oral health and the relationship between oral health, overall health and quality of life.
Strategy Two: Increase the public’s understanding of how to prevent and practice behaviors to prevent oral diseases.
Strategy Three: Increase awareness, distribution and use of oral health resources to encourage collaboration among oral health providers, health providers and policy makers.
Strategy Four: Increase individuals’ knowledge about the oral health care system and support all Maryland residents to establish a dental home.
Strategy Five: Promote the use of communication (social media and other) campaigns to enhance knowledge and use of oral health care.
Goal Two: Increase opportunities for organizations to enable individuals to find, understand and use information to make decisions about their oral health.
Strategy One: Increase collaboration among health service organizations to help individuals navigate the oral health care system and establish a dental home.
Strategy Two: Increase oral health care providers’ awareness and participation in Medicaid.
Strategy Three: Increase integration of oral health care into primary care settings.
> Action A: Encourage collaboration among state and local health-related organizations to integrate oral health care into primary care.
Strategy Four: Increase the use of non-traditional support professionals (case managers, social workers, childcare administrators and staff, nursing home and long care staff, community health workers) to help individuals receive oral health care and close the loop on referrals.
> Action A: Develop educational materials and resources in multiple languages that help health and human services providers improve patients (adults) understanding of oral health care options to make appropriate decisions about their care.
Strategy Five: Highlight collaborations among state and local health related organizations and activities improving health and quality of life.
Strategy Six: Ensure information about dental coverage is accessible and consumer-friendly for individuals purchasing coverage through the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange. In 2024, MDAC was successful in obtaining a recommendation from the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange’s Consumer Decision Support Workgroup to streamline and simplify information about dental coverage.
Goal Three: Educate students in health care and health-affiliated fields and practicing health care providers in Maryland about the oral-systemic connection and its impact on overall health.
Strategy One: Educate dental and non-oral health care providers about the new definitions of health literacy and their vital roles in improving the health literacy of their patients. Note: The new definitions should result in providers seeing where they fit into the model and embracing their responsibility in the health literacy process.
Strategy Two: Educate all ancillary organizations of their “organizational” role within the new definition of health literacy and how, by embracing this role, they support and create personal health literacy.
Strategy Three: Develop materials and programs to educate medical students and practicing providers on how to provide oral health guidance and preventive interventions (e.g., risk assessment, screenings, fluoride varnish, importance of good nutrition, smoking cessation, referrals).
Strategy Four: Develop materials and programs to educate nontraditional support professionals about oral health preventive measures to support patients (adults) seeking health care.
Strategy Five: Increase knowledge of medical and oral health professionals about the importance of achieving optimal oral health for individuals, including but not limited to, individuals with special health care needs, children, pregnant individuals and older adults.
Strategy Six: Increase dental providers’ ability to identify and refer patients with undiagnosed chronic health conditions (diabetes, hypertension, obesity) to appropriate medical professionals for diagnosis and treatment.
Goal Four: Conduct routine assessments to monitor the impact of strategies on the understanding, health outcomes and health decisions of individuals, populations and organizations informing interventions.
Strategy One: Assess the impact of communications (social media and other) campaigns on knowledge and use of oral health care.
Strategy Two: Assess the patient-provider interaction and the patients’ response to their provider’s communication skills and practices. Note: These objectives are from the communication section of Healthy People 2030, modified to be applicable to oral health.
> Action A: Increase the number of adults who report that their health care providers involved them in decisions made for their oral health care.
> Action B: Decrease the proportion of patients (adults) reporting poor communication with their oral health care team.
> Action C: Increase the proportion of patients (adults) whose oral health care provider checked their understanding about the proposed treatment.
> Action D: Increase the proportion of patients (adults) with limited English proficiency, indicating that their oral health care providers explained things clearly.
Strategy Three: Assess and monitor trends in the use of electronic resources, including social media, by individuals and organizations to improve oral health care.
