Interprofessional Education, Research, and Practice: Improving Oral Health of Young Children at Two WIC Sites

The Surgeon General declared dental caries the “Silent Epidemic”. Profound disparities exist in dental services obtained by children, especially the poor. Of particular concern is the low rate of early detection and preventive care for 3 year old and younger children eligible for Medicaid due to a shortage of dentists who accept Medicaid and who are willing to treat children.

The purpose of this project is to improve the oral health of low income mothers, & children. Poor children have higher rates of dental disease compared to other children and their lack of access to dental care and untreated dental conditions can contribute to poor health, dysfunctional speech, compromised growth, and poor educational performance. WIC (Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) is a national program that safeguards the health women, infants, & children who are at nutritional risk by providing nutritious foods to supplement diets, counsel on healthy eating, and referrals to health care. Numerous studies demonstrate the value of applying fluoride varnish to children’s teeth as a means of decreasing the incidence of dental caries, commonly called cavities. This project seeks to test the feasibility of integrating oral health assessments/teaching and fluoride varnishing interventions into regular practice at WIC sites. Education of Nursing/Nutrition graduate/undergraduate students on the topic of oral health as well as hands on experience in practice, education, and research were the main activities.

 One hundred and ninety-two children received fluoride varnishes with 8.1% having dental caries, 9.9 having discolored teeth, and 11.7 had inflamed gums. The major reason (17.8%) for not seeing a dentist was they did not know where to go. The other parent concerns were use of bottle/sippy cup (21.7%), not eating enough fruits/vegetables (22.3%), eating sugary food (22.3%), and drinking sugary drinks (25.2%).Parents had a 96% satisfaction rate with the oral health services and only a few parents refused the services usually because of time constraints.

This demonstration project with Nutrition and Nursing collaboration has shown improved oral health for a vulnerable group. The desired outcome would be that all WIC sites nationwide will adopt this protocol.