Houston's Primary Preventive Collaborative Oral Health Strategy - Project Saving Smiles

It is known children who suffer from oral health problems cannot learn well in school. The 2001 Dental Needs Assessment in Harris County revealed an alarming 45.9% of 2nd graders had untreated decay. Using an evidenced-based and community-based public health dental approach, Project Saving Smiles (PSS) provides free dental screening, dental sealants, fluoride varnish, and oral health education targeting 2nd graders enrolled in the Free or Reduced Lunch Program and who have written parental consent. In Fall 2008, the Houston Department of Health and Human Services facilitated and implemented its first of three collaborative endeavors with private, public and academic entities to provide these preventive services.

The goal of the partnership is to assemble community resources to address oral health problems of Houston's children. The PSS is an infrastructure for reducing dental caries, enhancing the children's capacity to learn, and increasing school attendance.

We shall share the following:

• Translation of an community-based optometric model to a community-based oral health model;

• Capacity building efforts;

• Partners and responsibilities;

• Value of this collaborative primary preventive health strategy;

• Challenges.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe strategies to recruit and retain community partners.

2. Describe how to promote oral health interest within public school systems.

3. Describe how to promote oral health interest among 2nd graders.

4. Explain a cost-effective community-based primary preventive oral health strategy for children.

5. Enhance the oral health preventive curriculum for institutions of higher learning.

6. Discuss how to involve oral health coalitions into community health practice.