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Christine Kerle, RDH, BSDH, Adolescent Health, Boston Public Health Commission's School -Based Health Centers, 1010 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA 02119, 617-534-2274, ckerle@hotnmail.com, Thayer Scott, MPH, Health Policy and Health Services Research, Boston University School of Dental Medicine, 715 Albany St, 560, 3rd fl., Boston, MA 02118, Gisela Morales-Barreto, EdD, School Based Health Centers, Boston Public Health Commission, 1010 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA 02119, Michelle Henshaw, DMD, MPH, Department of Health Policy and Health Services Research, Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118-2526, and Raul Garcia, DMD, MMedSc, Northeast Center for Research to Reduce Oral Health Disparities, Boston University, Goldman School of Dental Medcine, 715 Albany Street, 560, 3rd floor, Boston, MA 02118-2526.
Background – Dental care needs are unmet in many U.S. adolescents. An initiative to address these disparities was sponsored by the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) at eight Boston Public Schools.
Methods – Intraoral screenings were conducted by a licensed dental hygienist on adolescents enrolled in eight School Based Health Centers (SBHCs). Assessment data included untreated caries, treatment urgency, sealants on permanent molars, past dental treatment, insurance and referral status.
Results – Between 2000 and 2003, 1024 sixth through twelfth graders underwent an initial intraoral screening. Of the screened population, 36.7% had untreated cavites, 48% had at least 1 filling, and 19.7% had a sealant.
Students who reported being insured by either Medicaid (M) or private (P) medical insurance showed similar distributions of measured oral conditions: 32% of children with P insurance and 30.5% of M insured children had untreated cavities, while 52% of children without any insurance had untreated cavities. Analyses indicated that compared to children with insurance (P or M), children without insurance were 2.3 times more likely to have untreated cavities (Odds Ratio: 2.3; 95% Confidence Interval:1.7-3.1). In addition, being uninsured resulted in 2.2 times greater likelihood for requiring early or urgent care of their oral conditions compared to the insured children (OR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.6-2.9).
Conclusion – For Boston adolescents screened in the SBHC’s by the BPHC, lack of medical insurance is a significant indicator of greater risk for dental disease and needing dental treatment.
Support: NIDCR Grants U54 DE14264, K23 DE00454, K23 DE00419
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Access to Care, Oral Health Needs
Related Web page: www.bphc.org
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.