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Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Does the Texas First Dental Home Program Improve Parental Oral Care Knowledge and Practices?
Charmaine L Thompson1, Ann L McCann2, Emet D Schneiderman3
1Public health practitioner, Su Clinica Familiar, Harlingen, Texas, USA;,
Purpose:
This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Texas Medicaid First Dental Home (FDH) by comparing the oral health knowledge, practices, and opinions of participating vs. non-participating parents.
Methods:
A 29-question survey (English & Spanish) was developed and administered to 165 parents of children under three years old (FDH=49, Non-FDH=116) who visited qualifying Medicaid clinics in Texas.
Results:
Mann Whitney U tests showed that FDH parents scored higher on overall knowledge (P=0.001) and practice scores (P<0.001). FDH parents responded correctly more often than non-FDH about the recommended amount of toothpaste for toddlers (P<0.001). More FDH parents knew tap water was a potential source of fluoride (P<0.001). The FDH parents scored marginally higher about when a child should have the first dental visit (P=0.051). More Non-FDH parents let their child go to sleep with a bottle, sippy cup or pacifier (P<0.001).
Conclusions:
FDH visits are having a positive impact on Texas parents by increasing their oral healthcare knowledge and practices. This is the first step towards improving the oral health of children.
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