Transcript MINNESOTA’S EARLY HEAD START ORAL HEALTH CAMPAIGN

MINNESOTA’S
EARLY HEAD START
ORAL HEALTH CAMPAIGN
PREVENTING TOOTH DECAY AT
THE EARLIEST STAGE OF A
CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT
Oral Presentation
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Presented at the 2006 National Oral Health
Conference on May 2, 2006 in Little Rock,
Arkansas
Authored by David Born PhD, University of
Minnesota School of Dentistry, Christopher
Okunseri, BDS, MSc, Marquette School of
Dentistry and Gayle Kelly, BS, MS, Minnesota
Head Start Association, Inc.
Minnesota Head Start Association in
partnership with
MN State Head Start Collaboration Office
Dental Consultants from the
University of MN School of Dentistry
Marquette University School of Dentistry
Minnesota’s Early Head Start Programs
And with funding and support from
Head Start and Early Head Start
Goals
To help low-income families
prepare their children for
school and life success:
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Improving their child's:
- Health
- Social Competence
- School Readiness
Promoting self-sufficiency
for parents
Early Head Start
Eligibility Guidelines
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Serves children 0-3 and
pregnant women
At least 90% of enrolled
children must come from
families
- at or below the federal
poverty level or
- eligible to receive
public assistance.
10 % of enrollment in
Head Start is reserved for
children with diagnosed
disabilities
In 2005:
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21 federally designated and state-funded
Early Head Start grantees served
Minnesota
MN Early Head Start grantees served
1,295 children and 129 pregnant women
FOR MORE INFO...
Head Start Program Information Report for the 2004-2005 Program
Year – Wayne Kuklinski, MDE 651-582-8385
MN Early Head Start Oral Health
Campaign Goals, 2003-2005
Family Education
Help young families value their children's oral health and
adopt habits that prevent tooth decay.
Staff Training
Prepare Early Head Start (EHS) Home visitors to perform
simple oral risk assessment to prioritize children for
oral health prevention and dental referrals.
Oral Risk Assessment
Offer regular and consistent oral risk assessment and
follow-up of EHS children (0-3) to prevent caries and
refer children for treatment services.
Family Education
The Tooth Book is MN Head
Start’s oral health guide for
families and educators.
Produced in English, Spanish,
Somali and Hmong
View an Electronic copy @
www.mnheadstart.org/toothbooken.pdf
Training and tools were
available to all Head Start
and Early Head Start
Health Managers
Staff Training
Intensive one-day workshop taught by dental school
professors covering:
 Early Childhood Dental Caries and Guidance
 Oral Risk Assessment and Referral
 Cultural Perspectives
Teaching Objectives were to enable Home Visitors to:
 Explain basic tooth development and appropriate
oral health practices
 Conduct an oral health risk assessment of children
up to age three
Oral Risk Assessment
Home visitors met with EHS families in their
home at a frequency determined by the
families’ risks to assess:
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Environmental Risks (brushing, diet, bottle
feeding practices, water source)
Family Risks (Caregiver oral health, SES,
general health)
Oral Risk Assessment (continued)
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Observe the child’s mouth
(tooth development,
decay, white spots, red or
swollen gums, cleanliness
of the teeth)
Provide oral health
education and skill
building with family
members
Results
FAMILY EDUCATION: 2003 -2005
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100% of 48 HS and EHS Health managers had
access to parent education tools
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88% of 48 HS and EHS Health managers
participated in group instruction on oral health
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40,000 copies of The Tooth Book distributed
from 2003-2005
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69% of 15,227 HS and EHS families participated
in oral health education.
Results
Staff Training: 2003-2005
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90% of 90 EHS Home Visiting Staff participated
in one of three oral risk assessment workshops
Knowledge assessments conducted prior and
one month after the training showed gains for
all three groups (p<.001)
Program evaluation results showed high level of
satisfaction and strong desire for more training
Results: Oral Risk Assessment
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87% of 1,014 EHS clients received one or
more oral risk assessment and education
“Reliability Check” showed home visitors
identified most potential problems and
missed very few
Results: Parent Attitude Survey
Measured pre/post changes in EHS parent
attitudes about early childhood oral health
risks.
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Increase in parent’s awareness of oral
health risks (p<.008)
More education needed:
1) Parent’s role in disease transmission
2) Oral health during pregnancy
3) Age for first dental visit
Impact on Dental Treatment Access
Minnesota Head Start Children
Receiving Dental Examinations, 2002-2005
Percentage of Children Served
100
90
Flat ~73%
80
70
60
Head Start
50
Increased by 50%
40
30
20
10
0
2002
2003
2004
Years
2005
Early Head Start
Next Steps: 2006 - beyond
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Offering statewide training via ITV
Exploring best approaches to outreach to
culturally diverse clients
Considering the feasibility of fluoride
varnish and xylitol gum as Center-based
strategies