Oral Health Needs of WIC Children and Women in North Central Florida

Untreated caries, lack of insurance and poor access to care are major public health problems for low-income populations. The federal Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) serves low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk by providing nutritious foods and education. Integrating preventive oral health services into WIC programs may reduce the burden of disease among WIC women and children at high-risk. We explore the oral health needs of WIC women and children in North Central FL WIC. To examine the oral health needs among children, data from 416 dental screenings were analyzed. Prevalence of untreated caries in children aged 3-5 years was 26.9%.  Caries prevalence in 1 year olds was 7.2%, 2 yr olds 24.6%, 3yr olds 26.1%, 4 yr olds 26.1% and 5 yr olds 14.5%. Dental caries was mostly observed in primary maxillary anterior teeth (36.4%), followed by lower primary molars (26.1%), upper primary molars (20.6%) and lower anterior teeth only with 3.5%. Forty-three children out of 78 (55%) with untreated decay were referred to the UF Infant Oral Health Clinic. We screened 112 women and 31 of 51 (60.8%) pregnant women had untreated decay. Thirty-six of 57 (63%) women with untreated decay did not have Medicaid or other insurance. Oral health needs are high in WIC population in this community. Collaborating with WIC and other primary care systems can help to provide preventive dental services for at-risk populations.