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 Children
need a dental home — a continuous,
accessible source of oral health care.
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Children who have a dental home are
more likely to receive appropriate preventive and
routine care. The concept of the “dental home”
is derived from the American Academy of Pediatrics’
concept of the “medical home.” This concept
states that the care of infants and children ideally
should be accessible, continuous, comprehensive,
family centered, coordinated, compassionate, and
culturally effective. The child’s first visit
establishes the dental home. This provides the opportunity
to implement preventive health practices and reduces
the child’s risk for preventable oral disease.[2]
A dental home should be able to provide
the following:[2]
- An accurate risk assessment for oral diseases
and conditions
- An individualized preventive dental health program
based on risk assessment
- Anticipatory guidance about growth and development
issues (e.g., teething; thumb, finger, or pacifier
habits; feeding practices)
- A plan for emergency dental trauma
- Information about proper care of the infant’s
or child’s teeth and soft tissues
- Information about proper nutrition and dietary
practices
- Comprehensive dental care in accordance with
accepted guidelines and periodicity schedules for
pediatric dental health
- Referrals to other dental specialists, such as
orthodontists, when care cannot be provided directly
within the dental home
If the child does not have a dental
home, help parents obtain a source of care by doing
the following:
- Provide a referral to a dentist in your community
who has experience in treating infants and young
children. Contact your local dental society or pediatric
dental society or national organizations for a referral.
The following national organizations may be helpful
in locating dentists in your community:
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
211 East Chicago Avenue, Suite 700
Chicago, IL 60611-2663
(312) 337-2169
www.aapd.org
American Dental Association
211 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611-2678
(312) 440-2500
www.ada.org
- Work with local agencies to determine a child’s
eligibility for public assistance programs such
as Medicaid or the State Children’s Health
Insurance Program or other source of funding for
oral health care, and help families enroll in these
programs or obtain such funding.
 
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