Oral health is critically important to the overall health and well-being of children and adolescents. It covers a range of health promotion and disease prevention concerns, including dental caries (tooth decay); periodontal health; proper development and alignment of facial bones, jaws, and teeth; oral diseases and conditions; and trauma or injury to the mouth and teeth. Oral health is an important and continuing health supervision issue for the health care professional.
Childhood caries (tooth decay) is a preventable and transmissible infectious disease, caused by bacteria (eg, Streptococcus mutans or Streptococcus sobrinus) that form plaque on the surface of teeth. The bacteria interact with sugar in foods and beverages, turning it into acids that dissolve tooth enamel, causing caries. Caries is the most common chronic disease in children—5 times more common than asthma. Left untreated, pain and infection caused by tooth decay can lead to problems in eating, speaking, and learning. 1 Forty percent of children have caries by the time they reach kindergarten, 2 and many school hours are lost each year due to dental problems related to caries. (Source)
Childhood caries (tooth decay) is a preventable and transmissible infectious disease, caused by bacteria (eg, Streptococcus mutans or Streptococcus sobrinus) that form plaque on the surface of teeth. The bacteria interact with sugar in foods and beverages, turning it into acids that dissolve tooth enamel, causing caries. Caries is the most common chronic disease in children—5 times more common than asthma. Left untreated, pain and infection caused by tooth decay can lead to problems in eating, speaking, and learning. 1 Forty percent of children have caries by the time they reach kindergarten, 2 and many school hours are lost each year due to dental problems related to caries. (Source)
NDAAP members were invited to complete a fluoride varnish survey in the spring, 2016. Below are the results of the information from that survey.
- Fluoride Varnish Application in Primary Care Settings
Examines the use of fluoride varnish for pediatric patients in primary care, as well as awareness of fluoride varnish as a reimbursable service in the primary care setting.
Author(s): Schroeder, S.
Date: July 2016
Type: Factsheet - Fluoride Varnish Application among North Dakota Family Practice Physicians & Pediatricians: 2016 Chartbook
Pediatricians and family practice physicians in North Dakota completed a survey to examine fluoride varnish application in clinical practices.
Author(s): Schroeder, S., Ahmed, A.
Date: July 2016
Type: Report
The North Dakota Department of Health Oral Health Program has had an exciting year and is pleased to share highlights they have accomplished. In the last year, with funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, their team has worked to implement and expand the following:
The Center for Rural Health has been working with the North Dakota Department of Health Oral Health Program to evaluate various efforts in North Dakota to reduce oral health inequities. Throughout this process, they have developed a few fact sheets, infographics, and briefs on community oral health programs and outcomes as well as oral health inequities. Consider reviewing the following products and visiting the Center for Rural Health’s Oral Health Publication’s page for future work.
If you have additional questions about any of the above reports, contact Dr. Shawnda Schroeder with the Center for Rural Health at Shawnda.schroeder@UND.edu. If you have additional questions or ideas for the State Oral Health Program, contact the Director, Cheri Kiefer at ckiefer@nd.gov.
- Implement the School-based Sealant Program into additional schools throughout the state each year and include care coordination to provide follow-up care for the children in the schools. Care coordination services focus on disparate populations with high oral disease rates within low income, American Indian, and rural populations.
- Maintain the proportion of people served by community water systems who receive optimally fluoridated water.
- Maintain and enhance the oral health surveillance system including developing oral health data products and disseminating to interested parties.
- Enhance medical-dental integration in the state to increase the number of dental and medical providers doing bidirectional referrals.
- Enhance oral public health infrastructure and capacity by placing a dental hygienist in a medical facility to provide oral health screenings, fluoride varnish, education, referrals, and care coordination.
- Enhance the oral public health infrastructure and capacity by placing dental students in a Federally Qualified Health Center. This is to raise awareness of public health services as a career path and to help attract dentists to North Dakota.
- Enhance the oral public health infrastructure and capacity by facilitating better practices for substance abuse and pain management. This is to evaluate the gaps in knowledge among the state’s dental workforce regarding substance abuse screening and pain management practices in the wake of the national opioid and substance abuse epidemic.
The Center for Rural Health has been working with the North Dakota Department of Health Oral Health Program to evaluate various efforts in North Dakota to reduce oral health inequities. Throughout this process, they have developed a few fact sheets, infographics, and briefs on community oral health programs and outcomes as well as oral health inequities. Consider reviewing the following products and visiting the Center for Rural Health’s Oral Health Publication’s page for future work.
- Dental Pain Management in Dental Clinics, Emergency Rooms, and Primary Care Settings in North Dakota [Fact sheet]
- High Rates of Decay and Need for Dental Treatment Among American Indian and Alaska Native Kindergartners in North Dakota [Fact sheet]
- High Rates of Decay and Need for Dental Treatment Among Rural Kindergartners in North Dakota [Fact sheet]
- Medical - Dental Integration in North Dakota [Fact sheet]
- Progress and Reach of the SEAL!ND Program [Fact sheet]
- Evaluation of a Comprehensive Program Addressing Oral Health in Multiple, Diverse Community Settings [Poster]
- Benefits of Medical-Dental Integration for Medical Residents, Providers, and Patients [Poster]
If you have additional questions about any of the above reports, contact Dr. Shawnda Schroeder with the Center for Rural Health at Shawnda.schroeder@UND.edu. If you have additional questions or ideas for the State Oral Health Program, contact the Director, Cheri Kiefer at ckiefer@nd.gov.