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Background The Diabetes Education and Resource for Children and Adolescents (DER-CA), Children's Hospital, Winnipeg, Manitoba and the University of Manitoba, School of Dental Hygiene (SDH/UM) developed an oral hygiene component to add to the education and surveillance of youth with type 2 diabetes mellitus and their families. Objective This article describes the 4-year experience of this interprofessional collaboration and the effective “fit” for the dental hygiene screening and education as part of the DER-CA diabetes care, education and support. Method The iterative process of the interprofessional collaboration, pilot run and implementation of the curriculum is described. Results The partnership has resulted in the development of a dental hygiene student experiential interprofessional education program, the inclusion of oral health with diabetes education for the youth of the DER-CA, and the development of a collaborative relationship between the DER-CA and SDH/UM. Four graduating classes of dental hygiene students (n=104) have participated in the program. Over 280 youth (6 to 18 years of age) with type 2 diabetes have had oral health screening and education. Conclusions The interprofessional collaboration between the DER-CA and SDH/UM is a successful innovative partnership informed by the evidence-base in interprofessional education and type 2 diabetes and oral health that integrated an oral hygiene component in the surveillance and education to youth with type 2 diabetes.

Objective The purpose of this review is to describe the elements and enablers for interprofessional education (IPE) clinical placements in diabetes teams. Methods We describe the development of an IPE clinical placement for health professional students in a diabetes team and share the lessons learned over 6 years, from 2008 to 2013. The 6 collaborative practice competencies of the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative and the requirements for Accreditation of Interprofessional Health Professional Education opportunities guided the development of an IPE clinical placement in a diabetes team. Results A formal IPE clinical placement in diabetes teams requires attention to the site and diabetes team-specific elements and enablers for IPE. That includes students and preceptors from 2 or more health professions, a formal curriculum on collaborative care, adequate IPE resources and strong institutional support for a culture of collaborative care and integration of students in diabetes teams. Conclusions Diabetes teams can provide a valuable IPE opportunity for health professional students, recognizing that there are challenges that must be addressed in organizational structure of clinical placements in diabetes teams. Studies of the effectiveness of IPE in diabetes teams on collaboration competencies in future diabetes healthcare professionals and long-term patient outcomes are needed.