Certification for School Dental Sealant Programs

• Mandatory certification as outlined in Senate Bill 660 began in the 2016-17 school year.
• Once a school dental sealant program is certified, the certification status is effective for the certification year of August 1 - July 31.
• Certified programs will need to continually maintain their list of schools being served and requested throughout the certification year.
• OHA will conduct on-site verification reviews of each certified program.
• A certified program will need to renew its certification no later than July 15 of each year.
• Before applying for renewal certification, a certified program must submit an aggregate-level data report to OHA.

Before Applying for Certification

A representative responsible for coordinating and implementing the school dental sealant program must attend a one-time certification training provided by the Oregon Health Authority’s (OHA) Oral Health Program.

If the school sealant program experiences personnel changes that impact the representative responsible for coordinating and implementing the program, then a new representative must attend the one-time certification training before applying for recertification.

Templates

• Recertification Process & Timeline (pdf)
  
• Site Visit Tool (pdf)
  
• Data Report Draft Template (pdf) - the Excel file will be sent to programs by the end of the May 2021.
  

Application Form for Initial Certification

STEP 1: Email the OHA Oral Health Program at oral.health@dhsoha.state.or.us to request a user name and password for your organization to access the online application form. Please provide the name of your organization in the email.

• Each organization will have its own unique log-in information.
• Programs will then have the ability to update information on the application form throughout the school year regardless of personnel changes.

STEP 2: Download the user guide (pdf) that will show you how to complete the online application form step-by-step.

STEP 3: Once you have an organization user name and password, you can access the online application form. Please note the application works best in Chrome, Safari or Internet Explorer.

If you need any other assistance, please contact the Oral Health Program at oral.health@dhsoha.state.or.us or (971) 412-0531.

Application Form for Renewal Certification

STEP 1: Download the user guide (pdf) that will show you how to complete the online recertification application form step-by-step.

STEP 2: Using the same organization user name and password provided during the initial certification process, you can access the online application form. Please note the application works best in Chrome, Safari, or Internet Explorer.

You will not be able to access your certification form for the 2019-20 school year. If you need to make any changes to it or need any other assistance, please contact the Oral Health Program at oral.health@dhsoha.state.or.us or (971) 412-0531.

Webinars & Training Resources

          For those who were unable to attend, you mayview a recording of the webinar. This is a time stamp outline of the webinar:

          For those who were unable to attend, you mayview a recording of the webinar.

On January 26, 2022, OHA hosted a webinar by GC America to provide a review of the COVID-19 modified technique for glass ionomer dental sealants. Topics of the review included: using cavity conditioner; determining the best moisture conditions for the teeth to be sealed; and parameters for placing glass ionomer sealants around school students’ eating schedules. For those who were unable to attend, you mayview a recording of the webinar.

Webinar on the Efficacy of Glass Ionomer Sealants & COVID-19 Modified Technique 

On July 28, 2020, OHA hosted a webinar by GC America to provide information on the bonding, retention and release of fluoride in glass ionomer dental  sealant material. The presenters demonstrated a technique that does not generate aerosols and is an acceptable alternative for glass ionomer dental sealant placement during the COVID-19 pandemic. For those who were unable to attend, you mayview a recording of the webinar.

Video Showing Application of a Resin Sealant Material
OHA produced a video that demonstrates the use of Clinpro unfilled sealant material. Pleaseview a recording of the video.

Required One-Time Certification Training

As part of the certification process, a representative responsible for coordinating and implementing a school dental sealant program must attend the one-time certification training provided by OHA. If your program has had a personnel change to the representative responsible for coordinating the program, then this new person must attend the certification training before applying for recertification.

The training is free, and participants will learn how to deliver evidence-based, high quality oral health and dental sealant services in a school-based setting. The training is on the administrative side of operating a school dental sealant program.

Next Session

The last certification training was held virtually on October 26, 2021. Certification trainings will take place periodically throughout the school year if needed. Please contact the Oral Health Program at oral.health@dhsoha.state.or.us or (971) 412-0531 if you need to take the one-time certification training.

Training Topics

• Research and Evidence-Based Practices
• Utilizing Hygienists and Dental Assistants
• Trauma Informed Care Practices
• Recruiting and Working with Schools
• Forms and Health Literacy Guidelines
• Protocols for Quality
• Data Collection and Reporting
• Continuous Quality Improvement
• Providing Services in a School Setting
• Certification Requirements and Processes

Required Clinical Training

As part of the certification process, a school dental sealant program must provide a clinical training every year to all providers rendering care within their scope of practice in a school setting.

This requirement may be met by one of these options:

1. The school sealant program can develop and implement its own training; OR
2. The program may send its providers to an annual training provided by the OHA Oral Health Program.

The clinical training must include these topics:

• Determining the need for and appropriateness of sealants
  
• Manufacturer's guidelines for sealant placement
• Infection control guidelines
• Quality assessment of the program (e.g. performance benchmarks and standards)
• Confidentiality and security guidelines
  
  
• Internal policies and procedures

OHA Virtual Clinical Training - August 6, 12 & 26, 2021

The OHA Clinical Training for the 2021-22 school year was held virtually via Zoom. If you were unable to attend the live sessions, please view the recording and training materials for each session below. Closed captioning is available for the recordings.

SESSION 1 - Friday, August 6, 2021, 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM

View arecording of training session 1. 

• Federal & State Updates (pdf)
  
• Research Updates (pdf)
  
• Triaging During Screenings (pdf)
  
• Sealant Determination (pdf)
  
• Dental Sealant Materials & Manufacturer's Directions, Dr. Carmem Pfeifer, OHSU (pdf)