Dental health issues in child-care centers

In 1996, the privately owned licensed child day-care facilities in West Virginia were surveyed by mail to determine the level of compliance with the oral health regulations set by the State Board of Health. The number of children enrolled in the 119 responding facilities ranged from three to 218. Of these, 63 percent included tooth-brushing in the children's daily schedule. The majority of respondents (72%) reported inviting dental health care providers to discuss dental health with the enrollees. However, it was less commor (29%) for dental care providers to address the child-care staff regarding children's dental health. Forty percent of respondents reported that children had sustained dental injuries while at their facility. Nearly one-half (46%) maintained a record of each child's dentist. These findings support the need for establishing partnerships between dental health care providers and child-care centers to initiate continuous dental health programs for enrollees and to develop periodic staff educational workshops that focus on children's dental health. This study was funded by the West Virginia University Dental Corporation.