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. Physically Healthy and Ready to Learn
This technical assistance paper offers guidance to Head Start programs
regarding the implementation of Head Start program performance
standards on child health and developmental services, child health and
safety, and child nutrition. The paper examines how physical health
influences children's development and how child health and development
are integrated with parent engagement, community support, and systems
planning. The paper also discusses how Head Start programs can promote
a culture of healthy lifestyles in the classroom and in the home so
that young children will embrace lifelong healthy practices. Finally,
the paper explores specific health-related concerns of many Head Start
programs, including establishing a medical and dental home, promoting
oral health, addressing obesity and physical activity, and embracing
cultural considerations in health.
Contact: Head Start Information and Publication Center, 1133 15th
Street, NW, Suite 450, Washington, DC 20005. Telephone: (866) 763-6481;
(202) 737-1030; fax: (202) 737-1151; e-mail: askus@headstartinfo.org;
Web site: http://www.headstartinfo.org.
Available from the Web site at no charge. http://www.headstartinfo.org/pdf/HealthTAPaperNo1.pdf.
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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. Special Care: An Oral Health Professional's Guide to
Serving Young Children with Special Health Care Needs
This curriculum provides oral health professionals with information to
ensure that young children with special health care needs have access
to health-promotion and disease-prevention services that address their
unique oral health needs in a comprehensive, family-centered, and
community-based manner. Modules include (1) an overview of children
with special health care needs and oral health, (2) providing optimal
oral health care; (3) oral health supervision, (4) prevention of oral
disease, and (5) behavior management. Each of the modules includes an
overview, learning objectives, key points, a post-test, references, and
resources. A glossary, a bibliography, a list of agencies and
organizations, and a curriculum evaluation are also included. [Funded
by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]
Contact: National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center,
Georgetown University, Box 571272, Washington, DC 20057-1272.
Telephone: (202) 784-9771; fax: (202) 784-9777; e-mail:
info@mchoralhealth.org; Web site: http://www.mchoralhealth.org.
Available at no charge from the Web site at http://www.mchoralhealth.org/SpecialCare.
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4. Symposium on the Prevention of Oral Disease in
Children and Adolescents
This issue (March/April 2006) of Pediatric Dentistry contains reviews
written by speakers who participated in the Symposium on the Prevention
of Oral Diseases in Children and Adolescents held on November 11-12,
2005, in Washington, DC. The purpose of the symposium was to share new
knowledge, techniques, and materials to improve the oral health of
infants, children, and adolescents. Selected topics addressed by the
reviews include prevention of dental caries, cost-effectiveness of
early dental visits; acquisition and transmission of mutans
streptococci; protective role of saliva; impact of research and
development on the prevention of oral diseases in children;
evidence-based use of fluoride; use of pit-and-fissure sealants;
xylitol, sweeteners, and dental caries; diet quality, added sugar, and
dietary fiber intake among preschool-age children; and tobacco use by
adolescents. An article on the clinical, research, and policy
implications of the symposium is also included.
Contact: American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 211 East Chicago
Avenue, Suite 700, Chicago, IL 60611-2663. Telephone: (312) 337-2169;
fax: (312) 337-6329; e-mail: jrutkauskas@aapd.org; Web site: http://www.aapd.org. Single issue price
$25.00, plus shipping and handling. Abstracts available at http://www.aapd.org/searcharticles/current.asp?PUBLICATION_ID=160.
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5. Fluoride Dentifrice Ingestion and Fluorosis of the
Permanent Incisors
This study examined the influence of estimated fluoride toothpaste
ingestion at ages 16, 24, and 36 months (both individually and
combined) on fluorosis experience in the early-erupting permanent
dentition. In the initial analyses, mild fluorosis was significantly
related to ingestion of fluoride toothpaste at ages 24 and 36 months.
After adjusting for fluoride ingested from dietary sources, the
analysis showed a significant association between fluorosis and
toothpaste ingestion at age 24 months. The findings suggest the need to
emphasize the proper use of small quantities of toothpaste among young
children, with appropriate parental supervision, to limit the amount of
ingested toothpaste.
Franzman MR, Levy SM, Warren JJ, Broffitt B. 2006. Journal of the
American Dental Association 137(5):645-652. Abstract available at http://jada.ada.org/cgi/content/abstract/137/5/645.
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6. Maternal Periodontal Disease in Early Pregnancy and
Risk for Small-for-Gestational-Age Infant
Bogges et al. determined the relationship between maternal periodontal
disease and delivery of a small-for-gestational age (SGA) infant and
the role of maternal systemic inflammation in this relationship. The
authors found that moderate or severe periodontal disease early in
pregnancy is associated with delivery of an SGA infant. SGA infants
(birthweight less than the 10th percentile for gestational age) have
significantly higher neonatal mortality compared with appropriate- and
large-for-gestational-age infants. Periodontal disease is a chronic
oral infection commonly identified in pregnant women, and it has
recently been recognized as a risk factor for preterm birth,
preeclampsia, and second-trimester miscarriage. Understanding the
mechanism of periodontal-disease-associated adverse pregnancy outcomes
could lead to interventions to improve fetal growth.
Boggess KA, Beck JD, Murtha AP, Moss K, Offenbacher S. 2006. American
Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 194(5):1316-1322. Abstract
available at http://www.ajog.org/article/PIIS0002937805026797/abstract.
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7. Oral Health Status of Mississippi Delta 3- to 5-Year
Olds in Child Care: An Exploratory Study of Dental Health Status and
Risk Factors for Dental Disease and Treatment Needs
Southward et al. conducted a pilot study to explore the use of
information from parents and directors of child care centers to
identify correlates of child oral diseases and oral health. The paper
describes caries occurrence, oral health practices of parents and
children, and oral health environments among a sample of 346 children
who were enrolled in 15 selected child care centers in the Mississippi
Delta. The authors found that conducting oral health exams and research
in child care venues was possible, although challenging. The combined
use of two parental variables -- reported soft drink consumption and
abscess history -- appears promising for caries prediction.
Southward LH, Robertson A, Wells-Parker E, Eklund NP, Silberman SL,
Crall JJ, Edelstein BL, Baggett DH, Parrish DR, Hanna H. 2006. Journal
of Public Health Dentistry 66(2):131-137.
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8. Recurrence of Early Childhood Caries After
Comprehensive Treatment with General Anesthesia and Follow-Up
Foster et al. determined (1) the likelihood of new caries among
children diagnosed with early childhood caries (ECC) after
comprehensive treatment using general anesthesia and (2) whether
attendance at immediate follow-up can prevent relapse. Despite the
aggressive treatment of ECC, more than half the children had new caries
lesions within 2 years. The children who missed their immediate
follow-up appointment were more likely to experience a relapse.
Foster T, Perinpanayagam H, Pfaffenbach A, Certo M. 2006. Journal of
Dentistry for Children 73(1):25-30. Abstract available at http://www.aapd.org/searchjdcarticles/article.asp?JDC_ARTICLE_ID=66.
9. Role of African-American Fathers in Child-Rearing and
Oral Health Practices in an Inner City Environment -- A Brief
Communication
Broder et al. assessed parenting behaviors, health behaviors, and
attitudes in a sample of African-American fathers and evaluated the
potential of fathers as recipients of oral-health-promotion
intervention. Participants were 60 African-American fathers (average
age 30.8) whose children (average age 2.1) were enrolled in a
childhood-caries-prevention study or who were members of a young
fathers' program at an urban health center. Fathers had high oral
health knowledge scores and high readiness for change scores at the
action stage. Dental self-efficacy scores were moderate. Half of the
fathers shared or had sole responsibility for brushing their children's
teeth; 90% reported children's teeth were brushed daily.
Broder H, Reisine S, Johnson R. 2006. Journal of Public Health
Dentistry 66(2):138-143.
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Focus on Head Start at http://www.mchoralhealth.org/alert/index.html.
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The Oral Health Alert: Focus on Head Start is administered by the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC) at Georgetown University.
This publication is made possible by grant number HIFMC06348 from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) (Title V, Social Security Act), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). This funding is part of an intra-agency agreement between the Office of Head Start (OHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and MCHB, HRSA. The publication's contents are the responsibility of solely the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of or imply endorsement by ACF, DHHS, Georgetown University, HRSA, MCHB, OHS, or OHRC.
Permission is given to forward Oral Health Alert: Focus on Head Start to individual colleagues. For all other uses, requests for permission to duplicate and use all or part of the information contained in this publication should be sent to the address below.
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Managing
Editor: Katrina Holt, M.P.H., M.S., R.D.
Writer/Administrator: Jolene Bertness, M.Ed.
Editor: Ruth Barzel, M.A.
Oral
Health Alert: Focus on Head Start
National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center
Georgetown University
Box 571272
Washington, DC 20057 1272
Phone: (202) 784 9771
Fax: (202) 784 9777
E-mail: OHAlertadmin@mchoralhealth.org
Internet: http://www.mchoralhealth.org/alert/index.html