Outcomes evaluation of a school-based oral health prevention program

School-based oral health programs are designed to reduce decay prevalence and eliminate disparities among children. Outcome evaluations have generally been limited to dental sealant programs. Evaluations of additional preventive efforts are essential given limited resources available for school-based services. This research provides an evaluation of oral health outcomes for a long-standing screening and referral program.

Annual dental screenings for students in grades PK-6 in an urban public school have been offered for six years. Parents are notified of need following screening and offered help locating treatment. Outcomes including untreated decay, restorations, and the presence of infection/oral pain at final screening will be compared by total number of screening years (1-6) and by grade level at initial screening.

1,356 students enrolled in the school district for at least 5 years will be included in the analysis. Preliminary results indicated that mean number of decayed teeth was 0.37 times less for students after five annual screenings than after just two screenings (0.6 vs 1.4, T=4.64, p<0.0001). Students with two annual screenings were 5.6 times more likely to have an urgent need for care than were students with five screenings (21% vs. 4.5%, X2=32.8, p<0.0001). The lowest percentage of students with untreated decay was found among 5th graders.

Final results will inform recommendations for modifications to the school-based oral health program, such as to how many and which grade levels services should be offered. Future prevention efforts will be targeted to students for whom they are shown to be most effective.