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Dental Health
 Dental
caries is the most frequently found health problem in children;
it is also one of the most preventable. PCPs are required
to refer children with caries to a dental provider. Prevention,
early detection, and prompt referral for treatment of caries
and other oral health problems is essential.
Dental services
are broadly defined to include preventive services, emergency
services, and therapeutic services for dental disease which,
if left untreated, may cause irreversible damage to the teeth
or supporting structures. At a minimum, dental services must
include relief of pain and infection, restoration of teeth,
and maintenance of dental health. These services may not be
limited to emergency room services.
Dental Home
All infants, children, and adolescents need a dental home.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry describes
the dental home as “the
ongoing relationship between the dentist and the patient,
inclusive
of all aspects
of oral health delivered in a comprehensive, continuously
accessible coordinated and family-centered way.”
A dental home should be able to provide:
- Accurate
oral health risk assessments
- Individualized
preventive dental health programs
- Emergency
dental trauma management plans
- Comprehensive
oral health care based on accepted guidelines and periodicity
schedules
- Referrals
to other dental specialists (endodontists, oral surgeons,
orthodontists, and periodontists)
If the
infant, child, or adolescent does not have a dental home,
PCPs can help families find a source of care by
doing the following:
- Provide
a referral to a dentist in your community
- Contact
your state or local pediatric dental society for a list
of
dentists
- Contact
the following national organizations for help in locating
dentists:
American
Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
211 East Chicago Avenue, Suite 700
Chicago, IL 60611-2663
(312) 337-2169
Find a Pediatric Dentist
American Dental Association
211 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611-2678
(312) 440-2500
Find a Dentist
- Work
with local agencies to determine an infant’s,
child’s, or
adolescent’s eligibility for public assistance programs such
as Medicaid or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program
or other source of funding for oral health care, and help families
enroll in these programs or obtain
such funding.
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Periodicity
and Guidelines for Dental Inspection/Evaluation |
The
Periodicity Schedule for other HealthCheck services does
not govern the schedule for dental services. Dental services
are provided to HealthCheck recipients according to the
MCO's contract with the DC Medical Assistance Administration.
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