National
Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource
Center
This and past issues of the Oral Health Alert: Focus on Head Start are available at http://www.mchoralhealth.org/alert/archives.html.
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1. Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of
EPA's Standards
This report focuses on what constitutes a safe level of naturally
occurring fluoride. Topics include exposure to fluoride, dental effects
of fluoride, skeletal effects of fluoride, studies of fluoride and
cancer, implications for the Environmental Protection Agency's drinking
water standards, and recommended research. The report does not address
the practice of intentionally adding fluoride to public drinking-water
supplies for the prevention of tooth decay.
Contact: National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington,
DC 20001. Telephone: (800) 624-6242, Web site: http://www.nap.edu.
Available at no charge from the Web site at http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20060322.html
(news release, full report, opening statement, briefing, and report
in brief).
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2. From the Beginning: Early Head Start Children,
Families, Staff, and Programs in 2004
This policy brief profiles the Early Head Start program using the
latest data from the Program Information Reports that all Head Start
grantees must submit to the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. The brief presents the following data for the 2004 program
year: (1) type of Early Head Start program by funded enrollment; (2)
medical screening, treatment, and services for Early Head Start
children; (3) number of children with continuous, accessible dental
care; (4) non-Head Start child care arrangements for families requiring
full-time care; (5) family services most often received by Early Head
Start families; (6) Early Head Start teacher qualifications; and (7)
average salaries for Head Start teachers by education level.
Contact: Center for Law and Social Policy, 1015 15th Street, N.W.,
Suite 400, Washington, DC 20005. Telephone: (202) 842-8000; fax: (202)
842-2885; e-mail: info@clasp.org; Web site: http://www.clasp.org.
Available at no charge from the Web site at http://www.clasp.org/publications/headstartbrief_7.pdf.
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3. Associations of Ethnicity/Race and Socioeconomic
Status with Early Childhood Caries Patterns
This study evaluated ethnicity/race, household income, and caregiver's
education level as predictors of any early childhood caries (ECC). The
study also evaluated four ECC patterns in the primary dentition in a
sample of Arizona children ages 5-59 months. The authors' findings
support the association of both ethnicity/race and social status with
ECC. However, each ECC pattern was found to be associated with specific
and different socioeconomic-demographic indicators.
Psoter WJ, Pendrys DG, Morse DE, Zhang H, Mayne ST. 2006. Associations
of ethnicity/race and socioeconomic status with early childhood caries
patterns. Journal of Public Health Dentistry 66(1):23-29.
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4. A Longitudinal Controlled Study of Factors Associated
with Mutans Streptococci Infection and Caries Lesions Initiation in
Children 21 to 72 Months Old
This longitudinal study determined factors associated with mutans
streptococci (MS) infection and development of caries lesions in a
group of children ages 21-72 months. The authors found that lack of
oral hygiene, consumption of sugar-containing snacks, and enamel
hypoplasia (insufficient and/or irregular quantity of enamel) are
significant factors for both MS infection and caries lesion initiation.
Law V, Seow WK. 2006. A longitudinal controlled study of factors
associated with mutans streptococci infection and caries lesions
initiation in children 21 to 72 months old. Pediatric Dentistry
28(1):58-65.
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5. Increasing Prevalence of Emergency Department Visits
for Pediatric Dental Care, 1997-2001
This study describes the characteristics of children and adolescents
(from birth to age 17) who visited the Texas Children's Hospital
emergency department with dental complaints, the nature of their
problems, and the factors associated with emergency department use for
traumatic vs. nontraumatic problems during a 5-year period. The authors
found that visits for oral health care increased substantially between
1997 and 2001. The majority of the visits were for nontraumatic oral
health problems.
Ladrillo TE, Hobdell MH, Caviness C. 2006. Increasing prevalence of
emergency department visits for pediatric dental care, 1997-2001.
Journal of the American Dental Association 137(3):379-385. Abstract
available at http://jada.ada.org/cgi/content/abstract/137/3/379.
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6. Parental Health Literacy and Children's Dental Health:
Implications for the Future
This article introduces pediatric dentists to the impact of parental
health literacy on the implementation of an effective caries preventive
program in their children. Topics include the scope of the problem,
recognizing parents with low literacy skills, communicating with
parents, and the connection between parental health literacy and
children's oral health.
Jackson R. 2006. Parental health literacy and children's dental health:
Implications for the future. Pediatric Dentistry 28(1):72-75.
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7. Utilization of a Hospital for Treatment of Pediatric
Dental Emergencies
This study analyzed the records of patients (from birth to age 21) with
visits for emergency oral health treatment at Seattle's Children's
Hospital and Regional Medical Center (CHRMC) between January 1, 1995,
and June 30, 2003, to determine reasons for seeking hospital care,
examine trends in emergency types, and compare trends to previous
studies from this institution. Characteristics of patients seeking
emergency oral health care for oral health emergencies included young
age, non-white ethnicity, Medicaid as payer, lack of private dental
insurance, no regular source of oral health care, and geographic
proximity to CHRMC. The authors also found that (1) various ethnic
groups used the emergency department for differing oral health
concerns, (2) caries emergencies presenting during clinic hours
increased compared to previous studies at the same hospital, and (3)
caries and severe early childhood caries remain significant problems
despite many programs targeting children's oral health in Washington.
Rowley ST, Sheller B, Williams BJ, Manel L. 2006. Utilization of a
hospital for treatment of pediatric dental emergencies. Pediatric
Dentistry 28(1):10-17.
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