Central New Mexico Community College is offering a new certificate program this fall that aims to improve access to dental care for people who need it most, school officials announced.

The Albuquerque-based school is currently accepting students for the Community Dental Health Coordinator (CDHC) program, initiated by the American Dental Association.

Community Dental Health Coordinator's play an important role in improving access to dental care in underserved communities by providing dental health education and basic preventive services, and by helping patients navigate the public health system to receive care from dentists. They help people bridge such barriers as poverty, geography, language, culture, and a lack of understanding of oral hygiene.

"This is truly exciting. Central New Mexico is the first college to offer a CDHC program since the American Dental Association-sponsored pilot program was completed," American Dental Association President Charles Norman. "CDHCs are an integral part of a complex set of solutions needed to address the nation's dental health crisis."

CDHC students will learn interviewing skills, dental health teaching and learning skills, screening and classification, as well as palliative care skills before entering internships with dentists in New Mexico communities.

CDHC students will learn interviewing skills, dental health teaching and learning skills, screening and classification, as well as palliative care skills before entering internships with dentists in New Mexico communities.

"We are proud that New Mexico was the first state to have the CDHC established in law, and excited to be the first to roll out a permanent educational program," stated Mark Moores, New Mexico Dental Association Executive Director. "We look forward to the positive impact that the CDHC will have on the oral health of New Mexicans."

The American Dental Association pilot has graduated 34 CDHCs currently practicing in Arizona, California, Minnesota, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. Several CDHCs have taken visiting assignments to demonstrate the value of this innovative dental worker for government and public health officials in additional states.

The American Dental Association is working to help additional schools in New Mexico and other states integrate the model into their curriculums