Course Description:

This webinar introduces how dental services are delivered in K-12 schools across Washington State. Participants will review highlights from the latest Smile Survey and newly released DOH guidelines, explore two school-based programs in action, and learn ways to collaborate with and support programs that expand access to essential dental services statewide.

Course Objectives:

1. Summarize key findings from the latest Smile Survey and explain how the new statewide guidelines support providing quality, evidence-based dental services in schools.
2. Describe different types of school-based dental programs.
3. Identify strategies to collaborate with school-based programs and strengthen support to improve access to essential dental care.

Presenter Bios:

Katie Rossitch, DDS

Dr. Katie Rossitch moved to Washington State in 2016 after completing her DDS and BSPH in Health Policy and Management at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She found a way to merge her educational background with her passion for public health as she began working in a portable, school-based setting in 2018 and never turned back! As the dental director of a Seattle based program, Katie was instrumental in expanding dental care to more school-aged children along with implementing a minimally invasive approach with her team. She is especially passionate about providing evidence-based care that creates positive early dental experiences for young kids that will shape how they take care of their teeth for the rest of their life.

In 2023, Katie joined the Innovation Team at Washington Dental Service (WDS), where she led a 24-month learning collaborative designed to enhance oral health outcomes for elementary-aged children by bringing together like-minded individuals to learn together. Building on the success of this wok, she helped launch a statewide Coordination Hub to deepen support and growth of school-based oral health programs.

Lauren Spilles,

Lauren Spilles is a Dental Hygienist who leads a school-based oral health program serving seven school districts across Eastern Washington. She has spent the majority of her career working in community health and brings over a decade of experience in the public health sector. Her work has focused on improving access to care through medical–dental integration initiatives, serving as an Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (ABCD) coordinator and addressing oral health disparities within her community and schools.

Lauren holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Language and Global Culture from Eastern Oregon University and is a graduate of the Columbia Basin College Dental Hygiene Program, class of 2012.

Earn 1.5 continuing dental education credits with this course