Assessing the attitudes and barriers of oral health education and oral health services in Solano County

Introduction: Vallejo, the site of two participating school based health centers (SBHCs), is in the most ethnically diverse county in California, with 36% White, 24% African American, 24% Asian, and 15% Hispanic. Patients at these SBHCs are predominantly minorities (89%) and uninsured (92%). Over a quarter of children in the United States ages 2-5 have tooth decay, with a majority of cases concentrated in minority children and those of low socioeconomic status (SES). Objective: The purpose of this formative/process evaluation is to assist the Solano School Based Health Center Oral Health Demonstration Project (SB-OHDP) in identifying how the intervention can improve oral health education and services. Methods: Community members, health service providers, and program staff, referred by the project leadership team, will be interviewed to assess current attitudes and barriers regarding oral health care education and services. Summaries of the reported findings and recommendations will be used to guide the intervention. Results: Preliminary analysis identified key barriers to be: limited access to oral health services, dental insurance, transportation, oral health knowledge (proper brushing/flossing techniques, and when to discontinue bottle feeding), and language limitations. Conclusion: Recommendations to overcome these barriers include: 1) Increasing oral health knowledge, 2) Implementation of SB-OHDP to increase access to oral health education and services, 3) Promotion of healthy nutrition and oral health in schools, and 4) Training staff to perform dental varnishes. Further assessments are required to inform the implementation of the SB-OHDP, to the evolving needs of the Solano community.