Best Practice Approach Best Practice Approach Improving Children’s Oral Improving Children’s Oral

Health through Health through Coordinated School Coordinated School Health Programs Health Programs

Sue Dodd RDH,BASCD Healthcare Consulting LLC

What is a Best Practice What is a Best Practice Approach?Approach?

A description of a public health strategy

Assesses the strength of evidence on the effectiveness of the strategy

Uses practice examples to illustrate success and sustainability

Describes innovative implementationDemonstrates collaborationMeets National Call to Action and HP

2010 objectives

Uses for Best Practice Uses for Best Practice ReportsReports

Use as building blocks to improve systems of care

Share ideas & lessons learnedRaise awareness of oral healthPromote collaborationsUpdate program guidelinesPromote optimal oral health across the

lifespan while reducing disparities

Children’s Oral HealthChildren’s Oral Health

Surgeon General Richard Carmona-”No child should be found unable to concentrate because of the pain of untreated oral infections.”

Oral Health care remains most common unmet need.

Focus on prevention and controlling decayAssociation between tobacco use and oral

diseasePrevention of injury to face, teeth and

mouthShortage and distribution of oral healthcare

professionals

Relationship of Oral Health Relationship of Oral Health to Academic Performanceto Academic Performance

S-G Antonia Novello: “Health and education go hand in hand: one cannot exist without the other”

Dental pain and disease results in decreased school performance, absenteeism, chronic illness, poor social relationships, anxiety and isolation

Importance of adequate nutrition

Cost Effectiveness of Cost Effectiveness of Preventing Tooth DecayPreventing Tooth Decay

Early prevention- visit by age one less likely to have restorative or ER visits

Community Water Fluoridation and School Fluoride Rinse programs

ER visits vs. preventive care- Medicaid costs are10 times higher in ER rather than dental office

School based Dental Sealant programs are effective in preventing tooth decay

Coordinated School Health Coordinated School Health ProgramsPrograms

Developed by CDC Division of Adolescent and School Health

West Virginia is one of 22 funded states, territories and tribal nations.

Planned, organized set of health-related programs, policies and services

Meet the health and safety needs of K-12 students

Implemented at both school district and individual school levels

Components of the CSHP Components of the CSHP modelmodel

Integrating Oral Health into Integrating Oral Health into CSHP modelsCSHP models

Health Education: Includes prevention and control of oral and dental disease, injury prevention, and promotion of good oral health practices.

Physical Education: Address prevention and protection from facial and oral injuries. Provide fabricated mouth guards and head gear. Work with dentists and physicians

Integrating Oral Health into Integrating Oral Health into CSHP modelsCSHP models

Health Services: Access and referral to oral health care services and emergency treatment. School nurse has oral health educational material available. Identify providers who accept Medicaid and SCHIPS.

Nutrition Services: Teach students choices to reduce risk of oral disease. Relate oral health to obesity, diabetes and general health

Integrating Oral Health into Integrating Oral Health into CSHP modelsCSHP models

Counseling, Psychological and Social Services: Ensure children with oral health needs obtain needed professional care.

Healthy School Environment: Work to develop tobacco use prevention policy. Promote safety and unintentional injuries to face and mouth. Address availability of junk foods and vending machine choices.

Integrating Oral Health into Integrating Oral Health into CSHP modelsCSHP models

Health Promotion for Staff: Provide staff with access to oral health information. Provide specific in-service training for teachers. Support tobacco cessation efforts

Family/Community Involvement: Integrate oral health efforts into advisory councils, coalitions, parent organizations. Conduct workshops on oral health care protocol and tobacco cessation.

West Virginia’s CSHP West Virginia’s CSHP modelmodel

Receive funding from DASH to promote CSHP, prevent HIV infection and conduct YRBS.

CSHP emphasis on physical activity, nutrition and tobacco use prevention

Provide HIV education and technical assistance to local educational agencies

Coordinates YRBS and YTS to collect risk behavior data for grades 9-12

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsThis report is the result of efforts by the ASTDD

Best Practices Committee The ASTDD Best Practices Committee extends a

special thank you to the ASTDD School & Adolescent Oral Health (SAOH) Committee for their contributions to this report.

A copy of the Report can be found at www.astdd.org

This publication was supported by Cooperative Agreement U58DP001695 from CDC, Division of Oral Health and by Cooperative Agreement U44MC00177 from HRSA, Maternal and Child Health Bureau.