Release Date: July 28, 2008
Contact: Christine Patmon, Metro Health Public Relations Manager, 207-8638
Dental Services Give Youngsters in Need a Reason to Smile
Dental Division teams up with Parks & Recreation; develops First Dental Home Initiative
Metro Health’s Dental Division is fighting tooth decay as it endeavors to improve the overall oral health of children in our community through two new initiatives. The first effort partners the division with Parks and Recreation’s summer Youth Recreation Program to offer free oral health evaluations and, at some sites, dental sealants to the program’s participants.
As part of this plan, the dental team set up its mobile services today at the Gilbert Garza Community Center, 1450 Mira Vista, to apply dental sealants to youngsters with parental permission. Thus far, the Dental Division has visited 19 summer Youth Recreation sites, providing limited evaluations to more than 500 young people. At eight of the sites, the mobile professionals applied more than 825 dental sealants, a thin, plastic material applied to the chewing surfaces of back teeth to help prevent tooth decay. In addition, participants have received more than 200 fluoride varnish applications for a total of more than $36,000 in free services.
“This has been an added bonus for parents who enrolled their children in the program. The youngsters stay active, which helps their physical health, and they are receiving oral health services as well,” said Jennifer Meyer Bankler, D.D.S., dental health coordinator.
The second initiative undertaken this summer is a state legislatively supported effort called the First Dental Home program, which is aimed at serving children from six to 35 months of age in need of improving their oral health. With First Dental Home, certified Metro Health dentists travel to the department’s WIC Clinics to provide examinations, preventive care, and educational materials. They also recommend feeding practices and nutritional guidelines for caregivers. These services are valued at more than $140 per child and will be offered to all children, regardless of funding.
“One major obstacle many parents face is finding a dentist that will examine a child under three years old,” said Dr. Bankler. “The rising cost of transportation and time spent away from work are also frequently cited barriers to accessing proper dental services. First Dental Home is geared towards removing those barriers so all children have access to good oral health care and, consequently, decreased risk of physical ailments.”
As part of this statewide effort, the First Dental Home Workgroup developed guidelines and educational materials to provide simple, consistent oral health messages to parents and caregivers of young children. The workgroup includes Texas dentists specializing in pediatric, general and public health dentistry. The initiative’s ultimate goal is to establish a dental home for all children beginning no later than 12 months of age.
For more information, call the Dental Division at 924-9035.
Oral Health Facts
• Dental caries, commonly known as tooth decay, is the most common chronic disease of children ages five to 17 years old.
• Dental caries is a preventable disease that can lead to persistent pain, infection, compromised nutritional intake, difficulty sleeping and reduced self-esteem.
• The CDC estimates that more than 51 million school hours are lost each year due to dental-related illness.
• Children and adolescents living in poverty are disproportionately affected by dental disease. Eighty percent of tooth decay is found in only 20% of the overall population of children.
• Among children, 90% of decay is found in the pits and fissures of teeth.
• Children receiving dental sealants in school-based programs have 60% fewer new sites of decay on pit and fissure surfaces for up to 2-5 years after placement of a dental sealant.
• Children of racial and ethnic minority groups are three times more likely have decayed teeth that are untreated or teeth missing due to dental caries, but they are only about one-third as likely to receive dental sealants.
