Oral health status and access-to-care concerns of Suffolk County Head Start children

This study was undertaken to establish the caries prevalence in Head Start/Early Head Start children among the non-fluoridate community of Suffolk County, Long Island, and to elicit access-to-oral-health-care issues that are present for these children. Three hundred five parents completed questionnaire surveys about access-to-care issues at Suffolk County Head Start centers. Two hundred sixteen Suffolk County Head Start children ages 2 to 5 were screened for this study. The average DMFT (decayed, missing, filled teeth) across all children screened was 2.01. Fifty-four percent of parents reported that their children received dental care in the last two years. Twenty-four percent of children who received dental care reported having access-to-care issues. Of the parents who encountered such issues, the most prevalent one stated was, "We could not find a dentist to accept our insurance." The authors concluded that there is a heightened prevalence of early childhood caries in the Head Start/Early Head Start population of Suffolk County, Long Island. There are high levels of underutilized dental care in this population. The parents in this community have reported there are access-to-care issues present that may result in high levels of dental disease.