197868 Disparities in sealant use among rural children

Monday, November 9, 2009

Amy B. Martin, DrPH , Department of Health Services Policy and Management, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Statement of the problem: Dental sealants are an effective method for reducing caries, especially in vulnerable, underserved children. At present, only about a third of children across the US have sealants; rural disparities have not yet been studied.

Project goals: We will develop estimates for sealant use among children aged 3 - 14, by race/ethnicity, across urban and rural children and, within rural children, for those living in micropolitan, adjacent rural, and small remote rural counties. We will also identify ecological characteristics, such as provider availability, associated with sealant use.

Methods: We will conduct a cross sectional study using two nationally representative secondary data sets, the 2004 Panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and the 2001-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The SIPP contains parentally-reported sealant use across a large sample of children (n=12,152), while the NHANES contains professional examination data for a smaller group of children (n=4,999).

Anticipated publications or products.

Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to identify disparities between rural and urban children with regards to sealant use. Participants will be able to list and discuss the socioeconomic and ecological factors that contribute to sealant use disparities for rural children.

Keywords: Oral Health, Rural Populations

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the Deputy Director of the SC Rural Health Research Center, where I serve as the principal investigator on a number of federal grants investigating oral health disparities. I am also the evaluator of South Carolina's Division of Oral Health CDC Cooperative Agreement and related programs. I have a nummber of publications in press related to rural children's oral health status.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Improving Oral Health for Pregnant Women and Children
See more of: Oral Health