By Kadee Whaley and Hayden GoodingUniversity of Kentucky The University of Kentucky College of Dentistry’s 2023 Kentucky Early Learners’ Oral Health Surveillance Project survey found dental decay rates for Kentucky children ages 2 through 5 are significantly higher than the national average. The survey, funded by the Kentucky Department of Public Health, evaluated the prevalence of dental decay and treatment needs among children and identified populations most at-risk in the commonwealth. This is one of the largest state-level oral health surveys of children in Pre-K and Head Start programs ever conducted. Pamela Stein, D.M.D., M.P.H., a professor in the Division of Public Health Dentistry, served as a co-investigator on the surveillance project. “The oral health of young children is essential to health equity as it not only sets the trajectory for oral health across the lifespan but also influences an individual’s overall health and development,” Stein said. Project team members screened 6,660 kids across 106 Kentucky counties. Local dental hygienists were hired to serve as screeners and coordinate project efforts at the regional levels. Screeners contacted daycares and Head Start programs in their area. If the daycare or Head Start facilities agreed, screenings were scheduled for the children. The screeners were trained to standardize their identification of treated decay (cavities that already had fillings) and untreated decay. If a child was identified to have untreated decay the screener classified the severity of decay and determined the urgency of when the child should receive treatment. Each child’s screening results were documented on a report card and sent to their parents/guardians. All report cards contained referral information for local dentists and contact information for the regional coordinator for parents to contact for assistance if their child was identified as needing dental care. The University of Kentucky College of Dentistry’s 2023 Kentucky Early Learners’… Continue Reading
By Kadee Whaley and Hayden GoodingUniversity of Kentucky The University of Kentucky College of Dentistry’s 2023 Kentucky Early Learners’ Oral Health Surveillance Project survey found dental decay rates for Kentucky children ages 2 through 5 are significantly higher than the national average. The survey, funded by the Kentucky Department of Public Health, evaluated the prevalence of dental decay and treatment needs among children and identified populations most at-risk in the commonwealth. This is one of the largest state-level oral health surveys of children in Pre-K and Head Start programs ever conducted. Pamela Stein, D.M.D., M.P.H., a professor in the Division of Public Health Dentistry, served as a co-investigator on the surveillance project. “The oral health of young children is essential to health equity as it not only sets the trajectory for oral health across the lifespan but also influences an individual’s overall health and development,” Stein said. Project team members screened 6,660 kids across 106 Kentucky counties. Local dental hygienists were hired to serve as screeners and coordinate project efforts at the regional levels. Screeners contacted daycares and Head Start programs in their area. If the daycare or Head Start facilities agreed, screenings were scheduled for the children. The screeners were trained to standardize their identification of treated decay (cavities that already had fillings) and untreated decay. If a child was identified to have untreated decay the screener classified the severity of decay and determined the urgency of when the child should receive treatment. Each child’s screening results were documented on a report card and sent to their parents/guardians. All report cards contained referral information for local dentists and contact information for the regional coordinator for parents to contact for assistance if their child was identified as needing dental care. The University of Kentucky College of Dentistry’s 2023 Kentucky Early Learners’… Continue Reading
