National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center, Georgetown University

Bright Futures Toolbox

Health Professionals and Human Services Providers

•	Bright Futures in Practice: Oral Health
•	Curricula
•	Guides/Manuals
•	Screening/Risk Assessment Tools
•	Anticipatory Guidance Tools

Bright Futures in Practice: Oral Health
		Bright Futures in Practice: Oral Health—Pocket Guide National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center This guide provides an overview of the publication Bright Futures in Practice: Oral Health and is designed to help health professionals implement specific oral health guidelines during pregnancy and postpartum, infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence.
	View the guide online	Download the guide (pdf)

Bright Futures Health Supervision Guidelines, 3rd edition American Academy of Pediatrics The centerpiece of the Bright Futures program, the guidelines provide child health promotion information and guidance for health professionals from pediatricians to public health officials to school nurses.
Oral Health

Curricula
		A Health Professional's Guide to Pediatric Oral Health Management National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center
	This curriculum is designed to assist health professionals in managing the oral health of infants and young children. The series of seven modules include information on performing oral screenings to identify infants and children at increased risk for oral health problems, offering referrals to oral health professionals, and providing parents with anticipatory guidance.

	Dental Health Screening and Fluoride Varnish Application University of Minnesota This continuing education course covers the etiology and prevention of tooth decay, strategies for prevention, oral health screening and examination, the fluoride varnish application procedure, and the billing process.

	Early Childhood Caries: A Medical and Dental Perspective Phoenix College Department of Dental Programs This online preview of a tuition-based continuing education course presents current information on early childhood caries (ECC). Topics include the etiology of ECC, prevention strategies for infants and children under age 3, ECC screening methods, and rationale and techniques for the use of alternative restorative technique and fluoride varnishes.

	Healthy Smile Happy Child: Early Childhood Caries Prevention Nevada Bureau of Family Health Services This training aid/kit contains materials on ECC prevention and fluoride varnish, including a brochure, an anticipatory guidance curriculum, and manuals. The curriculum includes schedules (prenatal to age 2) and resources for oral health care. A separate manual provides information for health professionals on fluoride varnish application, as well as parent information and consent forms (in English and Spanish).

		Open Wide: Oral Health Training for Health Professionals National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center
	This curriculum is designed to help health and early childhood professionals (for example, Head Start and WIC staff) working in community settings promote oral health. The series of four modules present providers with information about tooth decay, risk factors, and prevention and highlight anticipatory guidance to share with parents.

	Open Wide: Oral Health Training for Non-Dental Health and Human Services Providers Connecticut Department of Public Health, Oral Health Unit This curriculum is designed for the oral health training of non-oral-health professional and human services providers, including physicians, nurses, nutritionists, child care workers, and others. It is divided into five lessons; each lesson consists of a statement of purpose, a lesson overview, learning goals, training session methods and activities, technical and factual information for developing lesson plans, and key terms.

	Oral Health Risk Assessment: Training for Pediatricians and Other Child Health Professionals American Academy of Pediatrics This continuing education activity for pediatricians and other primary care health professionals provides an overview of how to conduct an oral health risk assessment and triage for infants and young children. CME credit is available.



	Guides/Manuals
	Partners in Prevention: Getting a Head Start on Oral Health—An Infant/Toddler Oral Health Continuing Education Course New York University, College of Dentistry, Department of Pediatric Dentistry; New York Head Start Association This "train the trainers” manual for continuing education is designed for Head Start staff. Topics include prenatal care, pregnancy and oral health; oral pathology of the infant and young child; oral manifestation of systemic disease, tooth formation, eruption, and teething; nutritive and non-nutritive sucking; acquisition of the oral flora; oral hygiene and preventing early childhood caries; fluoride benefits; diet and nutrition; oral facial trauma and child abuse; simple rules for good oral health; and a summary of anticipatory guidance.

	Planning Guide for Dental Professionals Serving Children with Special Health Care Needs University of Southern California University Affiliated Program, Children's Hospital Los Angeles This guide promotes a framework within which oral health professionals can communicate and work with families to ensure that appropriate, high-quality oral health care is provided both at home and in the dental office. Topics covered include (1) preparation for dental visits, (2) oral assessment and prevention, (3) determination of specialized treatment techniques, (4) indicators of quality oral health care, and (5) linking with community resources.



Screening/Risk Assessment
	Clinical Caries Risk Assessment Kids Get Care This assessment tool is designed to help clinicians assess children's oral health and habits. It is intended for use in both community and clinical settings, and it includes guidance for parents and other caregivers on preventive oral health practices.
	Dental Screening Resource Card Arizona Department of Health Services, Office of Oral Health This card contains photographs of decayed teeth and dental sealants, definitions of types of decay, and descriptions of three levels of treatment urgency. Contact the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center for acquisition information.

	Medical Providers Oral Health Education Project: New Hampshire 2002–2005 Endowment for Health This resource describes a project to educate physicians and dental hygienists about dental caries in infants and children ages 3 and younger. Materials include age-specific forms and handouts such as questionnaires, assessment and recommendation forms, and protocols. Contact the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center for acquisition information.

	Oral Conditions in Children with Special Needs: A Guide for Health Care Providers California Connections Project This fact sheet provides full-color photographs of oral conditions, each accompanied by a paragraph of descriptive text and a recommendation for health professionals who encounter the condition. Oral conditions described include tooth eruption, malocclusion, tooth anomalies, developmental defects, viral infections, gingival infections, dental caries, oral trauma, bruxism (tooth grinding), and gingival overgrowth resulting from medications. Most of the recommendations include indications for referral and counseling for parents.

	Pediatric Dental Trauma Card American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry This card is intended to serve as a visual reference guide on common injuries to primary and permanent teeth in children and adolescents for general, pediatric, family, and emergency room physicians; nurse practitioners; and children and adolescents and their families. It includes pictures of discolored, displaced, fractured, and avulsed teeth, as well as brief treatment descriptions. Contact the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC) for acquisition information.

	Pediatric Oral Health Guide for the Primary Care Provider Whatcom County (Washington) Health and Human Services This brochure offers guidance to primary care health professionals on oral health issues, education, assessment, and referral for infants and young children. Topics include assessment of all children by age 1 for dental caries risk; fluoride supplements, toothpaste, and varnish; and tips for parents.

	Policy on the Use of a Caries-Risk Assessment Tool for Infants, Children and Adolescents American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry This policy statement outlines the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's policy on the use of a caries-risk assessment tool and includes the instrument.



Anticipatory Guidance Tools
	Age Appropriate Anticipatory Guidance First5 Oral Health These color charts provide oral health anticipatory guidance on the following developmental stages: prenatal, birth to age 1, ages 1–2, and ages 3–5.

	Anticipatory Guidance for Oral Health Association of Clinicians for the Underserved This laminated card provides guidance on oral health for health professionals working with parents. Topics described include diet, fluoridation, dental visits, dental sealants, and toothbrushing. Two additional cards in the series provide guidance for infant oral health care, including prenatal counseling, infant oral evaluation, and well child visits through age 36 months. Contact the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC) for acquisition information.

	Fact Sheets for Families California Childcare Health Program These fact sheets for families include oral health topics such as oral health and pregnancy, teething, and nutrition. They are written in easy-to-understand language and are tailored to the perspectives of families. They are designed to be distributed to families directly by child care providers. The fact sheets are available in English and Spanish.

	For The Dental Patient American Dental Association This series of handouts includes oral health information that dental offices can provide to the individuals they serve.

	Good Health Starts Here: Healthy Starts for Growing Smiles—Prenatal, Infancy, and Early Childhood American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry This brochure provides tips on developing and maintaining good oral health habits during pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood. Topics include the importance of oral hygiene, dental visits, fluoride, and diet and nutrition.

	Oral Health . . . From Pregnancy Through the Toddler Years: An Oral Health Education Program for Health Professionals Colgate-Palmolive Company This kit for health professionals provides a teaching module on oral health education for four key stages of life: pregnancy, birth to age 6 months, 6–18 months, and 18–24 months. The kit includes prime messages for each stage and discusses topics such as eating, toothbrushing, and flossing during pregnancy; care of infants' gums; use of bottles and pacifiers; and tips on snacking and toothbrushing. Also provided are common questions and answers from families and reproducible brochures (in English and Spanish).

	Oral Health Information American Dental Hygienists Association This series of handouts offers oral health information that health professionals can provide to consumers. Topics include tips for improving oral health for children and adolescents, nutrition, fluoride, and choosing a dental office.

	Pediatric Office Guide to Oral Health Care Seattle Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center This small flip chart is designed to help primary care physicians check for early childhood caries. Discussion topics, including toothbrushing, toothpaste, healthy food choices, and fluoride, assist physicians in talking with parents about oral health. Pictures illustrate what to look for during visual inspection, and descriptions of the appearance of mild, moderate, and severe tooth decay are included.

	Practical Oral Care for People with Developmental Disabilities: Making a Difference National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research This series of publications is designed to equip oral health professionals with information on delivering high-quality oral health care to people with special health care needs. Strategies for care covering topics such as mobility, neuromuscular and behavioral problems, sensory impairment, and other treatment considerations are discussed in the context of the general dental office setting.

	WIC Lesson Plans Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Office of Oral Health This series of oral health lesson plans was developed for use by counselors in WIC. The lesson plans introduce mothers and mothers-to-be to good oral health for their children, good nutrition for oral health, their child's first dental visit, and oral health during pregnancy.

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