Strategies

Expand the role of allied dental professionals (e.g., hygienists, therapists, etc.) via changes to statute, dentist supervision requirements, etc.

Adjust and monitor fluoride levels in public water supplies to reach and retain optimal fluoride concentrations

Provide information about contraception and protection against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in classroom or community settings

Provide condoms free of charge or at a reduced cost in community and school-based settings

Involve consumers in health care governance via roles on governing boards, advisory committees, or shorter-term special projects

Increase patients’ health-related knowledge via efforts to simplify health education materials, improve patient-provider communication, and increase overall literacy

Coordinate efforts to reduce risky sexual behavior among adolescents with work, vocational training, or sports

Use traditional and digital media to disseminate information about safe sex

Support initiatives that combine multiple components such as education, skills building, and contraceptive promotion to reduce pregnancy among youth

Use regulation to extend nurse practitioners’ (NPs’) scope of practice to provide care to the full scope of their training and skills without physician oversight, especially for primary care