Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #99487

Sherry Williams, MPH and René Lavinghouze, MA. Division of Oral Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway NE, MS F-10, Atlanta, GA 30341, 770-488-5205, swilliams8@cdc.gov

Objectives: Assess the status of school based/school linked dental sealant programs in states funded by a CDC cooperative agreement to build an oral health infrastructure.

Setting: Schools targeted for sealant programs based on children participating in the free and reduced lunch programs in 12 states and one territory.

Methods: States/territories funded by CDC were surveyed for the presence of school-based/school-linked dental sealant programs. Assessment elements included: longevity and scope of program, personnel and funding, schools and grades targeted, evaluation tools, and developed protocols for sealant placement.

Results: Nine states and one territory indicated they had a program ranging from 2 to 18 years (mean 10.4 years). All programs targeted schools with at least 50% of children in Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL) programs. These programs reached between 10 - 100% of the FRL population with an average of 41.6%. Factors identified that contributed to program strengths included: diverse funding, commitment from contractors, state sealant coordinator, surveillance, and community partnerships. Factors identified that inhibit programs success included: no focus on reporting and evaluation, collaborating across public/private entities, no follow up with child, no referral mechanism, geographic distance, no state dental director, and no standing orders from dentists for dental hygienists to administer sealants.

Conclusion: Most states funded by CDC do have a dental sealant program. The implementation of these programs varied from state to state and appears to reach 41.6% of children requiring dental sealants. These findings will help to facilitate issues raised and addressed by the CDC expert sealant panel.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the status of school based sealant programs in 13 funded states.
• Explain the variability of sealant programs in selected states with regard to practices and targeted populations.
• Describe the goals of the CDC-convened expert sealant panel and how they relate to school sealant programs.

Keywords: Oral Health, Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.