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r <br /> . 088 <br /> Dental Screening in the Schools: <br /> A Collaborative Approach <br /> • <br /> • <br /> Screening and referral in grades k,2,4, and 6 for dental problems <br /> is an integral part of the dental health program in the schools of <br /> Orange County, North Carolina. Since 1980, the program, funded by • <br /> a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has been conducted. <br /> through the joint efforts of the Orange County Health Department <br /> (OCHD) and the School of' Dentistry at The University of North <br /> Carolina. at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) . Dental hygiene students from <br /> UNC-CH, supervised by faculty, conduct visual, examinations of the <br /> Children's teeth and gingiva' in- the school setting. Parents were <br /> notified of the. results by letter.. Public health nurses assigned to <br /> each school were responsible for follow-up on those children referred <br /> for dental care. <br /> • <br /> • <br /> Problem: <br /> Large numbers of children. with dental problems were identified <br /> by the screening program. However, public health nurses' involve- <br /> ment in other school health activities precluded their ability to <br /> devote sufficient time to the follow-up component. As a result, <br /> the numbers of children obtaining care were lower than expected.. <br /> Purpose: <br /> The OCHD School Health Coordinator and the UNC-CH Dental Hygiene <br /> Student Supervisor devised a plan to involve dental hygiene students <br /> in the follow-up component of the screening/referral program. It <br /> was hypothesized that the combined efforts of the, nurse and hygiene <br /> student would increase the number of children who obtained needed <br /> dental care. This collaborative effort was a new approach. to the <br /> problem.. <br /> Methods: <br /> A total of 8 students specializing in Dental. Public Health were <br /> assigned to public health nurses to work on follow-up in 1982 for ' • • <br /> three hours/week for 6 weeks. : Criteria used to determine which . <br /> schools received a student-nurse team were numbers. of children <br /> refarrecIand law compliance rates in 1981 when only. nurses. were <br /> conducting follow-up. Compliance rate was defined as the number of <br /> children who obtained care divided by the number of children <br /> referred. Obtained care was recorded_ as a child having an appoint- <br /> ment with a dentist. The public health nurses were responsible for <br /> supervising the . student's follow-up activities. Follow-up included: <br /> 1. tabulating parental responses from referral letters <br /> 2 . contacting parents by phone, letter and/or home visits <br /> 3. talking with teachers about students.' dental needs <br /> 4. identifying community resources for obtaining dental care <br /> 5- arranging for School Health Funds for parents in need of <br /> financial assistance <br /> 6- arranging transportation with home/school coordinators to <br /> dental providers <br />