Development of a sustainable and prevention-oriented oral health intervention for early childhood programs in the Pacific Islands

Preschool-age children in the U.S. Pacific Island territories and freely associated states are at high risk for Early Childhood Caries. This rampant tooth decay is precipitated by exposure to processed foods and little dental hygiene or access to fluoride at a young age. Approximately 90% of children experience gross decay by age 3, resulting in preventable health, education, and financial ramifications.

The Pacific Islands Early Childhood Caries Prevention Project (PIECCPP) is an oral health intervention that seeks to improve rural health services for Head Start, Early Childhood Education and Universal Kindergarten enrollees and their siblings in the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Guam. This project aims to involve parents and families in preventative oral health care through education, home visits, distribution of fluoride toothpaste and toothbrushes, and provision of fluoride varnish treatments to students and their siblings. Novel snack foods that contain the natural, cavity-fighting sweetener Xylitol are also being evaluated. Additionally, PIECCPP works with government leaders to enable collaboration between government entities in education and health for the sake of children's oral health. Culturally appropriate educational materials have been designed and field-tested for this low health-literacy population.

Project protocols, preliminary results, and implications for early childhood oral health interventions will be discussed. Specifically, representatives of the project will introduce strategies for oral health promotion, monitoring, and program evaluation specific to the PIECCPP population.

[The PIECCP Project is sponsored by the US Administration for Children and Families, Head Start Bureau (HRSA #90YD0188)]