236632 Cavity Free at Three: A Colorado based initiative to improve oral health in children

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Karen Savoie, RDH, BS , Colorado Area Health Education Center System, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
Background: Early childhood caries is the most common chronic disease in children, yet it is preventable. The Cavity Free at Three program is an innovative approach to educate individuals regarding the prevalence and consequences of oral disease. A diverse variety of healthcare disciplines, joining forces, can share the responsibility of preventing oral disease. The Cavity Free at Three model is an innovative approach to improving oral health in young children. Methods: The Cavity Free at Three model will be presented which includes components of Child Oral Health as well as Perinatal Health. Methods to initiate a program aimed at addressing oral health disparities will be described. Results: This program has been presented to over 600 health care providers and outreached over 5000 children. Efforts to measure the satisfaction of program trainees will be presented. Conclusions: Dental caries is a serious, common disease in America's children. Innovative programs aimed at prevention of this disease must be considered in order to improve health outcomes and raise awareness of this most common health disparity. Cavity Free at Three aims to engage health care providers of all disciplines to identify methods leading to a solution for preventing oral disease in young children.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Public health or related education

Learning Objectives:
To provide participants with information on a Colorado based infant and toddler oral disease prevention program that can be incorporated into well child care, early childhood setting, early dental care as well as public health programs,. Participants will identify essential elements for developing a similar program in their state or community. The Cavity Free at Three model will be demonstrated which is designed to join the forces of medical and dental providers with community programs to address early childhood caries, and the role of health professional education in promoting and diffusing this model into the field.

Keywords: Oral Health, Children

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Fluoride varnish is used in the Cavity Free at Three Program as an unlabeled use of a product.

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am Director of Education for the Cavity Free at Three Program and conduct training sessions statewide.
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: Reducing Risk, Expanding Prevention, and Enhancing Oral Health Promotion
See more of: Oral Health