Oral Health Alert


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.

February 2007

  1. The Dental Home: It's Never Too Early to Start (educational material)
  2. Establishing the Dental Home: Using the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's Caries-Risk Assessment Tool (CAT) As a First Step (educational material)
  3. Grins and Games (educational material)
  4. Good Dental Care: It's Never to Early to Start (educational material)
  5. Special Care: An Oral Health Professional's Guide To Serving Young Children with Special Health Care Needs (training material)
  6. Disparities in Dental Insurance Coverage and Dental Care Among U.S. Children: The National Survey of Children's Health (journal article)

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1. The Dental Home: It's Never Too Early to Start

This two-page mailer is designed to educate oral health professionals and parents about the dental home. The mailer contains one color photograph of a group of children and another of a young child brushing his teeth. The first page of the mailer addresses the following topics: (1) the concept of the dental home, (2) how to establish the dental home, (3) how the dental home enhances the oral health professional's ability to provide optimal oral health care, and (4) how parents and oral health professionals can make a difference in a child's oral health. The second page contains a list of recommendations for oral health professionals and key messages for parents.

Contact: American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 211 East Chicago Avenue, Suite 700, Chicago, IL 60611-2663. Telephone: (312) 337-2169; fax: (312) 337-6329; Web site: http://www.aapd.org. Available at no charge from the Web site at http://www.aapd.org/foundation/pdfs/DentalHomeFinal.pdf.

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2. Establishing the Dental Home: Using the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's Caries-Risk Assessment Tool (CAT) As a First Step

This four-page mailer is designed to educate oral health and non-oral-health professionals on the use of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's Caries-Risk Assessment Tool (CAT). The mailer features a color photograph of an African-American family on the front cover and a young, African-American child on page 2. Information on the following topics is presented: (1) the definition of early childhood caries, (2) the dental caries process, (3) use of the CAT, and (4) the dental home.

Contact: American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 211 East Chicago Avenue, Suite 700, Chicago, IL 60611-2663. Telephone: (312) 337-2169; fax: (312) 337-6329; Web site: http://www.aapd.org. Available at no charge from the Web site at http://www.aapd.org/foundation/pdfs/CAT.pdf.

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3. Grins and Games

This 12-page activity booklet is designed to educate families about the different ways to maintain healthy teeth, with an emphasis on the use of fluoridated water. The booklet features animated, full-color illustrations, puzzles, and games to help educate families on oral health and to serve as a reminder to children about the fun and importance of caring for their teeth.

Contact: American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 211 East Chicago Avenue, Suite 700, Chicago, IL 60611-2663. Telephone: (312) 337-2169; fax: (312) 337-6329; Web site: http://www.aapd.org. Available at no charge from the Web site at http://www.aapd.org/foundation/pdfs/2007GrinsGames.pdf.

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4. Good Dental Care: It's Never to Early to Start

This two-page kit is designed to educate new mothers about oral health and oral health care for themselves and their infants. The kit features a color photograph of three infants on the front cover. The second page (in black and white) presents oral health tips for mothers and their infants, with messaging that underscores the link between oral and systemic health.

Contact: American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 211 East Chicago Avenue, Suite 700, Chicago, IL 60611-2663. Telephone: (312) 337-2169; fax: (312) 337-6329; Web site: http://www.aapd.org. Available at no charge from the Web site at http://www.aapd.org/foundation/pdfs/GoodHealthLabel.pdf.

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5. Special Care: An Oral Health Professional's Guide to Serving Young Children with Special Health Care Needs

This Web-based continuing education (CE) course provides oral health professionals (dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants) 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. Topics include (1) an overview of children with special health care needs and oral health, (2) the provision of optimal oral health care, (3) oral health supervision, (4) oral disease prevention, and (5) behavior management. Four CE credits through the Department of Health and Human Services’ Indian Health Service or through the American Dental Hygienists’ Association will be awarded upon successful completion of the course. [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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6. Disparities in Dental Insurance Coverage and Dental Care Among U.S. Children: The National Survey of Children's Health

This article examines disparities in dental insurance coverage and oral health care among U.S. children considered to have special health care needs. Factors associated with oral health care among U.S. children are also examined. The authors found disparities in dental insurance coverage and oral health care among U.S. children by race/ethnicity, residence, family income, and parental education. They conclude that "eliminating . . . disparities in dental insurance and oral health care requires additional efforts in removing both financial and nonfinancial barriers to oral health utilization, improving dental insurance coverage for foreign-born minority children, and improving parents' understanding of oral health care needs."

Liu J, Probst JC, Martin AB, Wang J, Salinas C. 2007. Pediatrics 119(1, Suppl. 1):S12-S21. Abstract available at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/119/Supplement_1/S12.

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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, in its entirety, to others. 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.

We welcome your submissions, suggestions, and questions. Please contact us at the address below.

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


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