Bright Smiles from Birth

Bright Smiles from Birth is an ICAAP educational program on oral health. The presentation provides guidelines for Pediatricians and Family Physicians on simple ways to add an oral health component to well child visits. It provides an overview of anticipatory guidance for parents, performing an oral health assessment, application of fluoride varnish and referral to a dental home. This is a collaborative effort between ICAAP, the University of Illinois at Chicago pediatric dental program, the Illinois Society of Pediatric Dentists, Michael Reese Health Trust, and the Illinois Departments of Public Health and Healthcare and Family Services. The program is part of a pilot in Cook County and Collar Counties, IL that is allowing primary care providers to bill for application of fluoride varnish. In addition, Federal Qualified Health Centers from across the state may participate in the program.

ICAAP is looking for members to host presentations in their practices. If you are interested or would like to learn more about this program, please contact Jennie Pinkwater at jpinkwater@illinoisaap.com or 312/733-1026 ext 213. In addition, below is a list of compiled resources that may help you learn more about oral health in children.

Newsletter

Pediatric Oral Health News and Information, Fall 2008

Resources from the Bright Smiles from Birth Resource Kit
ICAAP developed the following materials as part of the Bright Smiles from Birth Program. Some are intended for use with clinical staff and others are appropriate to hand out to parents. All files have been posted as Microsoft Word™ documents to allow practices to personalize them and add the practice logo and contact information.

General Information (for providers and parents)
Fluoride Varnish Fact Sheet
When Should Children See a Dentist?
About Community Water Fluoridation
Fluoride Supplement Fact Sheet

Information for Clinical Practice
Well-Visit Checklist for Oral Health
Coding and Billing Tip Sheet
Sample Billinnewg Forms
Fluoride Varnish Application Protocol
Oral Screening Checklist
Fluoride Varnish Consent Form
Varnish Ordering Information

Patient Education Pieces
Parent Fact Sheet on Fluoride Varnish
Post-Varnish Application Handout

Other Resources

Illinois Department of Public Health – Division of Oral Health
www.idph.state.il.us/HealthWellness/oralhlth/home.htm
IDPH provides links to fact sheets and documents that can be reproduced for your practice. In addition, this site also contains information about the dental exam mandate for school children. In addition, this site contains IDPH reports on the Oral Health workforce in the state and the data surveillance system.

The IFLOSS Coalition
www.ifloss.org
The IFLOSS Coalition is a public-private partnership whose mission is to improve the oral health of all Illinois residents through advocacy and education. Periodically, the Coalition offers continuing education opportunities and resources developed for providers of oral health care/education. In addition, IFLOSS hosts a listserv for those interested in oral health in Illinois.

American Academy of Pediatrics
www.aap.org/commpeds/dochs/oralhealth
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) provides pediatricians, child health professionals, and parents with information and resources related to oral health. AAP oral health resources, information on community and state oral health programs, links, a children’s oral health electronic newsletter, and information on an oral health risk assessment preceptorship program are available on the web. The AAP also has a training curriculum that can be accessed through the site entitled “Oral Health Risk Assessment Training for Pediatricians and Other Child Health Professionals.” The training objectives are to: understand the role of the child health professional in assessing children’s oral health; understand the pathogenesis of caries; conduct an oral health risk assessment; identify prevention strategies; understand the need for establishing a dental home; and provide appropriate oral health education to families.

National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center Bureau
www.mchoralhealth.org
This is a wonderful site filled with information about oral health for moms and their children. In addition, it contains an overview and materials from other programs from other states and information on the new oral health Head State Initiative. This

Nevada State Health Division
www.health2k.state.nv.us/oral/caries.htm
Healthy Smile – Happy Child is an educational program to reduce the incidence of early childhood caries. Training is targeted towards health care professionals, childcare providers, and social workers. Participants can describe the etiology of tooth decay, identify risk factors associated with ECC, describe the effects of ECC, recognize ECC, teach clients how to examine children for signs of ECC, select appropriate anticipatory guidance to promote oral health through appropriate feeding practices and hygiene, refer appropriately, and apply fluoride varnish (if within scope of practice).

North Carolina Dental Screening and Varnish Project
www.ncafp.com/imb
“Into the Mouths of Babes” is a collaborative effort to reduce the incidence of early childhood caries in North Carolina. The program objective is to train medical providers to deliver preventive oral health services to high-risk children from the time of tooth eruption until age 3, including oral screening, parent/caregiver education, and fluoride varnish application. Training consists of a 1-1/2 hour CME session, which provides training on oral screening, parent education, and fluoride varnish application.

University of Pittsburgh
www.oralhealthtutorial.org
The Oral Health Tutorial is an educational program designed for non-dental professionals who work with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers and children with disabilities. This program is designed to help professionals identify early signs of early childhood caries, differentiate early childhood caries from other dental problems, counsel families about prevention, and refer children with cavities to a dentist.

Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services
www.dhfs.wisconsin.gov/medicaid5/trainings/oral_health_training
The Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services was awarded a four-year grant in August 2002 for an oral health provider training program entitled “Healthy Teeth for Mom and Me.” With recent research linking maternal oral health to birth outcomes, and evidence that early childhood caries can have significant lifelong medical and social impacts, the project goals are to: increase primary health care provider awareness as to the importance of oral health; improve oral health awareness among pregnant teens; and increase utilization of preventive and restorative dental services by pregnant teens and infants.