202843 A dental program to improve access to care for young children in central Texas

Monday, November 9, 2009

Patrice J. Coons, DDS , Dental Program, St. David's Community Health Foundation, Austin, TX
Decay and other symptoms of poor oral health cost our children over 51 million hours of school. In Austin, Texas, St. David's Community Health Foundation operates a program that has recently celebrated 10 years of improving access to dental care for thousands of young children. While we started on a small scale, we have grown to provide free restorative care and oral hygiene instruction to thousands of central Texas children. We provide our services at no charge which addresses financial barriers. By taking our five mobile dental clinics to elementary school campuses, we also knock down physical barriers that prevent children from getting to a dental appointment, and our treatment at the school eliminates the need for a parent to lose time from work. Issues of language and cultural resistance are addressed through bilingual staff, cultural competency and outreach to parents in need.

Our program began in the early years with screenings of elementary school children in one school district to identify candidates for sealant placement. As our program matured we began to provide dental treatment in a mobile van. We added a second van in 2002 and three vans in 2007. Not only have we expanded our program to reach more children, we have refined our model to improve our availability to treat children in six school districts, and we have continued to expand our treatment protocols beyond urgent care.

Learning Objectives:
List 5 key partners in the success of a community-based dental program. Describe a process of accessing children for dental care at elementary schools. Identify a common sense approach to take your program from screening and preventive services to full restorative care.

Keywords: Access, Oral Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have over fifteen years experience in providing dental care in the private practice setting and over fifteen years experience in providing care in public health settings. I have worked with the St. David's Community Health Foundation Dental Program for more than 3 years, initially as a staff dentist on one of the mobile vans, and currently as the Clinical Director.
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