The Oral Health Alert: Focus on Head Start is a monthly
newsletter that provides timely information about national campaigns
and initiatives, materials, and journal articles. Past issues are available at http://www.mchoralhealth.org/alert/archives.html
October 2009
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1. Engaging Primary Care Medical Providers in Children's
Oral Health
This brief presents results from a survey of the 50 states and the
District of Columbia on the use of primary care medical providers to
increase access to oral health care for children. Topics include the
status of children's oral health care; dental coverage; methods for
early intervention (fluoride varnish, screening, risk assessment,
anticipatory guidance) in primary care settings; and state policies to
integrate preventive oral health care into primary care settings. A
table outlines reimbursement for oral health services by primary care
medical providers by state.
Cantrell C. 2009. Portland, ME: National Academy for State Health
Policy. Available at http://www.nashp.org/files/EngagingPrimaryCareMedicalProvidersCOH.pdf
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2. The Life of a Tooth: A Visual Timeline
This timeline provides information for consumers on oral health and
oral health care throughout life. Topics include developmental events,
interaction with dentists, and oral hygiene.
Academy of General Dentistry. 2009. Chicago, IL: Academy of General
Dentistry. Available at http://www.knowyourteeth.com/infobites/lifeoftooth
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3. State and Federal Actions Have Been Taken to Improve
Children's Access to Dental Services, but Gaps Remain
This report presents state strategies to monitor and improve access to
oral health care for children enrolled in Medicaid and actions taken by
the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services since 2007 to improve
oversight of Medicaid oral health services for children. Topics include
methods to monitor the provision of services, measures to monitor
access to services, statewide utilization goals, access standards for
services provided under Medicaid managed care, actions to educate
families on the importance of oral health care and to recruit oral
health professionals, barriers that hinder state initiatives to improve
access to services, and state-reported best practices for improving
care.
U.S. Government Accountability Office. 2009. Washington, DC: U.S.
Government Accountability Office. Available at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09723.pdf
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4. Assessing a Potential Risk Factor for Enamel
Fluorosis: A Preliminary Evaluation of Fluoride Content in Infant
Formulas
This study assessed fluoride content in infant formulas and fluoride
exposure resulting from infant formula consumption. The authors found
that, if infants receive primarily infant formulas that are
reconstituted with fluoride-free or low-fluoride (0.5 ppm) water, they
likely will not ingest adequate quantities of fluoride. The findings
suggest that infants' fluoride intake is influenced more by the water
used to reconstitute infant formulas than by the formulas themselves.
Chakwan Siew C, Strock S, Ristic H, Kang P, Chou H-N, Chen J-W,
Frantsve-Hawley J, Meyer DM. 2009. Journal of the American Dental
Association 140(10):1228-1236. Abstract available at http://jada.ada.org/cgi/content/short/140/10/1228
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5. Evaluation
of Pacific Islands Early Childhood Caries Prevention Project: Republic
of the Marshall Islands
This article describes the evaluation of a Head Start-sponsored
community program to reduce tooth decay in young children. The program
included two groups: (1) children who received fluoride varnish three
times per year and (2) children who received fluoride varnish three
times per year plus supervised toothbrushing with fluoridated
toothpaste twice per day at school. One year after program
implementation, children in group 1 were at least twice as likely to
develop tooth decay as children in group 2.
Milgrom P, Tut OK. 2009. Journal of Public Health Dentistry
69(3):201-203. Abstract available at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122296064/abstract
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6. Prevalence
of Early Childhood Caries Among Very Young Urban Boston Children
Compared with US Children
This study compared early childhood caries (ECC) prevalence in young
children (ages 1 to 3) who obtained primary care at two urban Boston
medical centers to young children surveyed as part of the Third
National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES III) and
assessed risk factors for ECC among these groups. Race, age, a child's
previous dental visit, parents' educational level, and annual household
income were all significantly associated with ECC prevalence in both
samples. Children of immigrants in Boston demonstrated a significantly
lower prevalence of ECC than children of immigrants throughout the
United States, as represented by NHANES III.
Nunn ME, Dietrich T, Singh HK, Henshaw MM, Kressin NR. 2009. Journal of
Public Health Dentistry 69(3):156-162. Abstract available at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121641050/abstract
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