Many dentists envision a practice environment where every patient feels welcomed, understood, and receives the best possible care. However, social determinants of health, like income, education, language barriers, and geographical location, can significantly impact oral health outcomes. These disparities can manifest in limited access to care, difficulty navigating the healthcare system, or even hesitation to seek dental services altogether.

Health equity training empowers dentists to bridge the gap in oral health outcomes across diverse populations. By understanding how these factors influence access to care and patient behavior, dentists can develop targeted strategies to address them.

As a reminder, effective January 14, 2024, all dentists licensed in Washington state must complete a minimum of 2 hours of health equity training within their three-year continuing education renewal cycle.

Free Self-Paced Online Health Equity Training

The following free, self-paced health equity training modules available on the Department of Health's Health Equity Continuing Education webpage can fulfill the CE requirement. Please note that online and self-study continuing education hours are counted as 30 minutes for every hour completed. Therefore a 2-hour online course will only fulfill 1 hour towards CE requirements.

These courses will cover a variety of topics that include how to recognize unconscious bias in patient interactions, strategies to develop culturally competent communication, and ways to identify and address barriers to care faced by underserved populations.

Questions about the Health Equity CE requirement? Please email info@wsda.org.