NS Smart Start Dental Grant Project Ordinance - VIII-A - 3-21-95

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3 ORANGE COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR YOUNG CHILDREN SECOND ROUND SMART START GRANTS SHORT-TERM SERVICE GRANTS The goal of this project is to promote preventive dental health education and identify needs and barriers concerning access to dental care for children age 0-3 in day care centers and family day care homes including : a) dental screenings , b ) dental health education to children, parents and teachers , c ) referral for dental treatment , d) follow up services for children screened who are in need of dental treatment, and e) statistical analysis of the dental screenings . Prior to the submission of this grant , the 1994 Smart Start dental screenings determined that there is need to promote preventive dental health education and provide dental treatment to this population. The Dental Service Grant would help to determine the number of children needing dental treatment by conducting screenings in day care centers and family day care homes . We will submit a plan in order to provide the dental treatment for those children who have been screened and need dental treatment but will have difficulty accessing it for a variety of reasons . The Public Health Dental Hygienist can educate .the pre-school teachers in "Dental Health Education Curriculum for Pre-School Children" developed by the NC State Division of Dental Health. The critical need or problem facing young children and their families is dental pain and infection. Preventive care- such as topical fluorides and sealants are not readily available to this population because Orange County and surrounding cities lack available dentists who will accept medicaid reimbursements . During the past 15 years of operation, the Orange County Health Department Dental Program coordinates an annual dental screening of school age children. Many of the children screened live with dental pain and infection so severe that both primary and permanent teeth are lost because the dental decay is so extensive . Teachers, school nurses, and social workers report that children come to school for days and weeks with toothache pain and dental infections . The parents send their children to school with toothache medicine to get them through the day trying to alleviate pain. The children can not learn in school nor eat or sleep properly because of the pain. Parents need to be educated about dental health before the children are even born and throughout pre-school years to prevent tooth decay. The funding from the Services Grant will pay the salary of the project coordinators , senior dental and hygiene students screening teams, data entry and detailed data analysis . Funding will also provide for educational materials . From the screenings, the need for dental education as well as treatment will be learned. Follow up contact to the parent will be made via mail or telephone by the same team which screened the child. This contact will determine access and barriers to dental care . The Smart Start Committee will then determine if dentistry is a priority health issue for this age group and whether to support a planning grant which will provide funding for dental , services for these Smart Start children.