Promotoras Bridge Care
El Paso Promotoras Help Dental Patients Catch Diabetes Risk Early
At local dental offices and the Texas Tech Dental Oral Health Clinic, screenings connect El Paso patients at risk for diabetes to same-day referrals and health education
Maria Land still remembers the patient who came in for a routine dental visit and left with an unexpected warning sign: her A1C was elevated, placing her at risk for diabetes.
“She was a little nervous,” Land said. “So I gave her all the information. We went to the Paso del Norte website together and looked at the resources. Before she left, she said she was going to make changes.”
For Land, that conversation was personal. A certified community health worker since 2018, she has been involved in community health since 2011 and drew on her own experience making flour-free cottage cheese tortillas at home to offer practical ideas the patient could try. “She said, ‘Oh, that’s a good idea. I want to make a change,’” Land said.
Community health workers are known as promotores de salud in Spanish. Land and fellow promotora Laura Renovato work in Texas Tech Health El Paso’s Community Health Outreach and Education Program, where one of their responsibilities is providing community health education and patient navigation support for the Hunt School of Dental Medicine.
To become a certified community health worker, Texas residents must complete training certified by the Texas Department of State Health Services. Renovato completed her training at El Paso Community College, and Land completed hers through a program offered by Familias Triunfadoras Inc. in conjunction with the University of Texas at El Paso.
Renovato, who has worked in El Paso healthcare for more than two decades and has been a certified community health worker since 2001, said patients respond differently to the screenings.
“Some people don’t want to know because they’re not diabetic,” Renovato said. “But others want to know because members of their family are, and they want to prevent it. It’s a good program.”
Texas Tech Health El Paso community health worker Laura Renovato, right, answers questions and helps guide El Pasoans to healthcare resources.
A Dental Visit with a Difference
The program that brings Land and Renovato into dental waiting rooms is called Diabetes and the Dentist, a community health initiative of the Hunt School of Dental Medicine funded by the Paso del Norte Health Foundation. It begins with a simple question most patients have never been asked at a dental appointment: Are you at risk for diabetes?
Together, Land and Renovato help patients move from a dental screening to the next steps in protecting their health. Since the program relaunched in February, they have participated in 19 outreach events at the Oral Health Clinic. Through these events, they’ve connected with more than 600 community members and provided 150 one-on-one diabetes consultations and education.
Dental staff use the American Diabetes Association Risk Test and a finger-prick HbA1c test to measure blood sugar, which takes only minutes. Of 281 patients screened at four community dental practices during the current phase, 111, or roughly 40%, were identified as at risk. All 71 patients whose results indicated prediabetes or diabetes were referred the same day to a primary care provider. Every patient screened received health education materials and QR codes linking to local, culturally relevant diabetes resources.
“Bringing diabetes screening to the dental chair helps close care gaps,” said Hunt School of Dental Medicine Assistant Professor Salma Elwazeer, B.D.S., M.D.S., M.P.H., co-director of the program. “This is especially true for families facing barriers related to cost, transportation or time. This project empowers both patients and dental professionals to improve health outcomes across our community.”
Land shared another success story about a patient who received an elevated blood sugar result after a screening at the Oral Health Clinic this year.
“After providing education on diabetes prevention, healthy eating and the importance of staying physically active, I made several follow-up attempts to check on the patient’s progress,” Land said. “Although we were initially unable to reach the patient, he later returned my call and shared encouraging news. The patient reported that he has remained physically active, continues to make healthy food choices, and is committed to maintaining these lifestyle changes.”
The Oral Health Connection
The link between oral health and diabetes is direct: gum disease can worsen blood sugar control, and uncontrolled diabetes accelerates gum disease. In the Borderplex region, where diabetes prevalence among adults is 14% and where dentists are among the only healthcare providers some residents see regularly, a dental office becomes more than a place to clean teeth; it becomes a front-line community health resource.
“These screenings have demonstrated value by facilitating earlier detection and timelier intervention for our patients,” said El Paso dentist Paul Ro, D.D.S., who has participated since the program’s launch and also serves as a clinical instructor for the Hunt School of Dental Medicine. “This has been highly beneficial to our practice.”
Texas Tech Health El Paso community health workers Maria Land, right, and Laura Renovato are friendly faces seen at health fairs and clinics across the Borderplex. The promotoras have been educating El Pasoans about the connection between oral health and overall health through the Diabetes and the Dentist program.
Expanding the Reach
A new two-year, $124,933 grant from the Paso del Norte Health Foundation will extend the program's reach by continuing partnerships with two participating private dental offices and establishing partnerships with two more. The grant will also formalize the navigation role Land and Renovato have been performing by training additional promotores de salud to guide at-risk patients through the healthcare system and secure follow-up appointments with primary care physicians.
The grant supports training for dental office staff, Hunt School of Dental Medicine students and El Paso Community College dental hygiene students. Together, they provide diabetes education and establish referral pathways to primary care. The program aims to screen 300 to 400 new patients over the next two years.
“The progress of this project has been more than just milestones achieved,” said Associate Professor Wilma Luquis-Aponte, D.M.D., Ph.D., program co-director. “Every step forward has had a real impact and created an opportunity to curb the effects of diabetes in El Paso.”
The program has its roots in 2021, when the dental school launched the first phase at the Texas Tech Dental Oral Health Clinic. It expanded in August 2023 to include community dental partners.
With promotores like Land and Renovato at the center, it now has a human face.
To schedule an exam and screening at the Texas Tech Dental Oral Health Clinic, call 915-215-6700.
About Texas Tech Health El Paso
Texas Tech Health El Paso serves West Texas and is dedicated to preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals. Established as an independent university in 2013, Texas Tech Health El Paso is a uniquely innovative destination for medical, nursing, biomedical sciences and dental education.
Focusing on excellence in healthcare education, research, and clinical service, Texas Tech Health El Paso has graduated over 2,600 professionals over the past decade. For more information, visit ttuhscepimpact.org.