Preventing Cavities Today, Building a System of Dental Care for Tomorrow
Cal Poly pre-dental students teach children about oral health at Cambria Elementary.
"Preventing cavities is 100 percent possible," said Dr. Navid Fardanesh, Oral Health Program Manager for the County of San Luis Obispo. "I've always been a believer in prevention because even the best dental restoration is not going to be as good as natural, healthy teeth."
With programs rolled out in 2017, the County oral health program is on its way to ensuring all children have access to proven prevention services so that they can enjoy healthy teeth—and avoid the pain and possible complications of dental health problems. These programs are also laying the foundation for a multi-decade effort to build an innovative and robust system of care for children's oral health across San Luis Obispo County.
The possible implications are profound.
"Teeth are not just one small part of the body – they're connected to nearly everything," said Dr. Fardanesh. "If you don't have a healthy mouth as a kid, you could have problems with speech, eating, self-esteem."
To address this, the County Public Health Department's oral health program connects children with dental care, equips children and parents with knowledge and skills to prevent dental problems, and has begun building a system of care to support children's dental health over the long term.
These efforts address significant challenges to ensuring all children can receive dental care, including limited access to dentists who accept Denti-Cal in SLO County. The oral health program also takes on misperceptions and lack of knowledge about the importance (and the how-to) of preventing cavities in kids. For example, many parents may not be aware of the ways sugary beverages can contribute to cavities or may not realize young kids need to see a dentist. Without education, kids may not know how to effectively brush their teeth to prevent cavities.
How did the oral health program take on these challenges in 2017?
Connecting kids with dental care
The program increased the number of children who have access to dental care. A County dental provider sees young patients—often for their first dental visit—at Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Head Start sites across the county. The visits include a dental exam, cleaning, and application of fluoride varnish to prevent cavities. The program helps connect families, who otherwise would not have access to care, with dentists who accept Denti-Cal or provide pro-bono services.
This matching takes into account the children's age and dental health, as well as their location. A small grant allows the oral health program to cover the cost of co-pays in cases when a child is in pain and needs extensive dental care not covered by insurance. Part of the puzzle involves building a network of local dentists who will accept Denti-Cal or provide pro-bono care to children in need. It means meeting with both dentists and families, hearing their needs, and finding solutions that work for both.
Engaging children and parents in education about oral health
A big part of prevention is equipping families with the knowledge and skills to prevent cavities every day, not just on the days they see the dentist or hygienist. To address this, the oral health program engages Cal Poly pre-dental students in educating children about caring for their teeth. The students visit second and third-grade classrooms across SLO County and set up stations, which children visit to learn about preventing cavities.
In one station, they practice effective brushing; in another, they soak eggs in different beverages to see the effects of acidity and sugar. It seems to be working: written evaluations showed that at the end of the school year, 90 percent of the students had retained what they learned in these sessions. More broadly, the education effort includes parents, too – for example, sharing information about the impact of sugary beverages and the importance of daily brushing, even for young children.
Building a system of care
Throughout this day-to-day engagement, the oral health program remains focused on the long-term work of building a strong system of care for children's oral health in SLO County. The Public Health Department convenes the Children's Oral Health Coalition, which brings together public and private practitioners, community-based organizations, professional dental provider networks, school personnel and others to work together on building and expanding the system.
This includes an ongoing effort to increase the number of local dentists who accept Denti-Cal or provide a certain amount of pro-bono services. It also means analyzing innovative opportunities to expand access by bringing care to schools and homes, such as with the virtual dental home model in which a specially-trained dental hygienist visits schools or homes to provide care under the supervision of a dentist.
Looking to the future, the program’s goals are clear: To make sure that everyone age 0-21 in SLO County has access to dental care; and that if and when they want to see a dentist, they are able to.
The program tracks metrics—such as rates of cavities, and the number of children who access dental care—and is using these numbers to evaluate and continue progress over the next 15-20 years.
In the meantime, every day is an opportunity to meet a child's need for dental care while helping build a healthy, toothache-free future for children across SLO County.
With programs rolled out in 2017, the County oral health program is on its way to ensuring all children have access to proven prevention services so that they can enjoy healthy teeth—and avoid the pain and possible complications of dental health problems. These programs are also laying the foundation for a multi-decade effort to build an innovative and robust system of care for children's oral health across San Luis Obispo County.
The possible implications are profound.
"Teeth are not just one small part of the body – they're connected to nearly everything," said Dr. Fardanesh. "If you don't have a healthy mouth as a kid, you could have problems with speech, eating, self-esteem."
To address this, the County Public Health Department's oral health program connects children with dental care, equips children and parents with knowledge and skills to prevent dental problems, and has begun building a system of care to support children's dental health over the long term.
These efforts address significant challenges to ensuring all children can receive dental care, including limited access to dentists who accept Denti-Cal in SLO County. The oral health program also takes on misperceptions and lack of knowledge about the importance (and the how-to) of preventing cavities in kids. For example, many parents may not be aware of the ways sugary beverages can contribute to cavities or may not realize young kids need to see a dentist. Without education, kids may not know how to effectively brush their teeth to prevent cavities.
How did the oral health program take on these challenges in 2017?
Connecting kids with dental care
The program increased the number of children who have access to dental care. A County dental provider sees young patients—often for their first dental visit—at Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Head Start sites across the county. The visits include a dental exam, cleaning, and application of fluoride varnish to prevent cavities. The program helps connect families, who otherwise would not have access to care, with dentists who accept Denti-Cal or provide pro-bono services.
This matching takes into account the children's age and dental health, as well as their location. A small grant allows the oral health program to cover the cost of co-pays in cases when a child is in pain and needs extensive dental care not covered by insurance. Part of the puzzle involves building a network of local dentists who will accept Denti-Cal or provide pro-bono care to children in need. It means meeting with both dentists and families, hearing their needs, and finding solutions that work for both.
Engaging children and parents in education about oral health
A big part of prevention is equipping families with the knowledge and skills to prevent cavities every day, not just on the days they see the dentist or hygienist. To address this, the oral health program engages Cal Poly pre-dental students in educating children about caring for their teeth. The students visit second and third-grade classrooms across SLO County and set up stations, which children visit to learn about preventing cavities.
In one station, they practice effective brushing; in another, they soak eggs in different beverages to see the effects of acidity and sugar. It seems to be working: written evaluations showed that at the end of the school year, 90 percent of the students had retained what they learned in these sessions. More broadly, the education effort includes parents, too – for example, sharing information about the impact of sugary beverages and the importance of daily brushing, even for young children.
Building a system of care
Throughout this day-to-day engagement, the oral health program remains focused on the long-term work of building a strong system of care for children's oral health in SLO County. The Public Health Department convenes the Children's Oral Health Coalition, which brings together public and private practitioners, community-based organizations, professional dental provider networks, school personnel and others to work together on building and expanding the system.
This includes an ongoing effort to increase the number of local dentists who accept Denti-Cal or provide a certain amount of pro-bono services. It also means analyzing innovative opportunities to expand access by bringing care to schools and homes, such as with the virtual dental home model in which a specially-trained dental hygienist visits schools or homes to provide care under the supervision of a dentist.
Looking to the future, the program’s goals are clear: To make sure that everyone age 0-21 in SLO County has access to dental care; and that if and when they want to see a dentist, they are able to.
The program tracks metrics—such as rates of cavities, and the number of children who access dental care—and is using these numbers to evaluate and continue progress over the next 15-20 years.
In the meantime, every day is an opportunity to meet a child's need for dental care while helping build a healthy, toothache-free future for children across SLO County.