Oral Health Initiative
Purpose
The purpose of the Oral Health Initiative (OHI) is to increase the number of children from birth through 5 in San Diego County who are free from oral health disease. By targeting children birth through 5 and their parents, as well as pregnant women, OHI addresses the growing concern of dental disease among young children.
Background
Dental caries is the most common chronic disease among children - five times more prevalent than asthma. In 2005, the First 5 Commission of San Diego recognized the urgency of dental disease in children and awarded the Community Clinics Health Network (CCHN) a grant to implement a countywide Oral Health Initiative (OHI). The development of a comprehensive countywide approach has allowed community health centers and collaborative partners to pool resources and strengthen programs. The program is currently funded through June 2015.
OHI is administered by CCHN, a subsidiary of the Council of Community Clinics (CCC). Established in 1977, CCC is a private, nonprofit organization composed of 16 community clinic and health center organizations operating more than 90 primary care sites through San Diego, Imperial, and Riverside Counties. CCC member clinics and health care operations serve as a safety net for essential health care services, as well providing linguistically and culturally sensitive medical homes that are deeply rooted in the communities around these counties.
Clinic Partners
OHI clinic partners include ten nonprofit community health centers that provide oral health prevention, education, care coordination and dental treatment services at approximately 24 dental clinic sites.
OHI also partners with three nonprofit community health centers that offer oral health prevention, education and care coordination services:
The San Diego Children's Dental Clinic operated by San Ysidro Health Center provides oral health screening and education to children with special needs, and tertiary and advanced specialty pediatric dental services.
Community Partners
- The San Diego County Dental Health Initiative/Share the Care offers education to childcare providers and community-based organizations on the oral health needs of young children.
- The San Diego County Office of Education SMILES Dental Disease Prevention Program provides education and oral health screenings to preschool children and pregnant and parenting teens.
- Rady Children's Hospital San Diego/Anderson Center for Dental Care and other OHI partners educate general dentists on pediatric dental care and treating women during pregnancy. They also train prenatal care providers and primary care providers about routinely incorporating oral health screenings into patient care.
OHI Accomplishments
OHI has transformed the dental care system in the following ways:
- Improved Standards of Practice. OHI promotes the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry standard of a first dental visit by age 1.
- Expanded Access to Oral Health Services. Oral screenings are now conducted in well-child visits, OB/GYN visits and community settings which have resulted in more clients receiving referrals for dental care.
- Created an Oral Care Network. The oral care network includes primary and specialty dental providers. The network has mproved the coordination of care and reduced delays from exam to treatment.
- Instituted a National Best Practice. San Diego County is a leading area for implementing the caries risk assessment tool.
- Created a Treatment Fund for Children and Pregnant Women. Since the inception of the Treatment Fund in October 2009, 992 uninsured children birth through 5 and 732 uninsured/underinsured pregnant women have received over 7,000 dental services. The Treatment Fund has been able to cover the cost of fillings, root canals, and crowns for pregnant women, services not currently covered by Denti-Cal.
- Created a Specialty Treatment Pool Fund. Since 2005, 192 uninsured children ages 2-5 have received over 4,400 dental services where anesthesia was required.
- Provided Extensive Oral Health Training. Since 2005, over 1,200 healthcare and dental professionals and 2,500 community-based providers have been trained on oral health issues of children birth through 5 and pregnant women.
Over its five year history, OHI has demonstrated exceptional outcomes:
|
Services |
Children 0-5 |
Pregnant Women |
|
Oral Health Screenings |
76,149 |
6,917 |
|
Dental Exams |
47,400 |
5,875 |
|
Dental Treatment |
45,642 |
5,059 |
|
Care Coordination |
24,431 |
5,747 |
|
Parent Education |
54,773 |
9,971 |
Contact
For more information, please contact Mae Hsu at 619-542-4310, mhsu@ccc-sd.org, or Nicole Howard at 619-542-4342, nhoward@ccc-sd.org.