DentCare, a school-based dental program funded by the Kellogg Foundation and implemented by the Columbia University School of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, targeted schools in Northern Manhattan, New York. DentCare provides preventive and emergency care services in school-based clinics and full treatment services at two off-site locations to more than 600 adolescents. Between July 1998 and June 2000, the average number of examinations, emergency visits, cleanings and sealants placed were, respectively, 3 793, 72, 2 804, and 10 008.5 at five schools. Off-site there was an average of approximately 9 300 visits. Earlier studies demonstrated that at baseline, the DMFTs and DMFSs scores were higher for DentCare adolescents compared to NHANES data for the same age and racial groups. While these adolescents fared worse compared to their counterparts nationally, the unfortunate reality is that there are many youths in the community who attend schools without a health or dental clinic, as well as youths who are not in school or connected with any viable source of primary preventive medical or dental care. Because of the successful implementation and community reception of DentCare, we urge our fellow colleagues to consider ways of identifying and targeting youths by integrating dental services with primary medical care and developing more community collaborations to increase program efficacy and remove access barriers. This presentation will discuss DentCare's experience of developing community partnerships and leveraging resources with school-based clinics, as well as the process and evaluation measures to assess its effectiveness.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to: 1) identify community-based models of providing dental care services to adolescents at-risk for poor oral health outcomes 2) understand the importance of integrating dental care services with primary medical care to eliminate barriers to access of dental care services 3) apply similar methods and components to their own current programs
Keywords: Oral Health, Adolescents
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.