270767 Assessing the attitudes and barriers of oral health education and oral health services in Solano County

Monday, October 29, 2012

Lan Doan, MPH, CPH , College of Education and Health Sciences, Public Health Program, Touro University California, Vallejo, CA
Annette Aalborg, DrPH , College of Education and Health Sciences, Public Health Program, Touro University California, Vallejo, CA
Gayle Cummings, MPH , College of Education and Health Sciences, Public Health Program, Touro University California, Vallejo, CA
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.

Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1.Describe the current beliefs and attitudes from key informants regarding oral health education and oral health services in Solano County. 2.Explain barriers to oral health education and oral health services in Solano County. 3.Discuss recommendations for the implementation of the Solano SB-OHDP.

Keywords: Oral Health Needs, Child Health Promotion

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: my co-authors and I conducted a literature review and process/formative evaluation under the guidance of Gayle Cummings (PI) and Annette Aalborg (Co-PI).
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.