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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Tanya Darlington, DDS, Georgina P. Zabos, DDS, MPH, and Kavita P. Ahluwalia, DDS, MPH. School of Dental and Oral Surgery, Columbia University, Division of Community Health, 630 West 168 St, New York, NY 10032, 212-304-7190, tdd4@columbia.edu
Objective: To assess the extent to which the practice guidelines of an evidence-based caries management program in four community-based practices are being implemented. The program includes caries risk assessment, and the use of topical fluorides and sealants according to practice guidelines. Topical fluoride is offered to all patients at risk for caries and sealants are used according to practice guidelines published in the Journal of Public Health Dentistry. Methods: Assessment of the treatment required and the extent to which it was provided was made by chart evaluation. A random sample of 100 charts were reviewed. An independent evaluator developed treatment plans based on the baseline oral examination (gold standard), and treatment provided was compared to the gold standard. Results: Based on the practice guidelines established for the program, 96% of the subjects required topical fluoride treatment. Of these, 86 (90%) received the treatment. Fifty-six percent of the subjects required sealant placement. Of these, 52 (93%) received sealants. Conclusion: These data suggest that the use of evidence-based caries management, including the utilization of sealants and fluorides according to practice guidelines are being met. Program systems that ensure this high rate of compliance with guidelines will be presented, and further evaluation to determine the effect of such a program on caries risk will be assessed.
Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.