title: [The control of babies' dental visits through the vaccines card: evaluating a pilot program developed at the Family Health Strategy at Ponta Grossa (PR, Brazil)].
abstract: This study evaluated a concept-program developed in the area of a Family Health Unity, which monitored, for two years, the returns of infant children to regular attendance by the dentist, through their vaccines cards. A cross-sectional study was conducted, involving a convenience sample of 123 children aged 12 to 36 months, residents in the area. Data were collected during a campaign of immunization, in 2007, through a questionnaire answered by parents, vaccines cards checking, and clinical examination of children. The results showed that 81% of the examined children were registered in the FHU for dental care; from them, 95% had entered before reaching one year of life, having vaccines cards registration. It was also found that 50% of the children had visited the dentist more than once per year of life and 58% of them returned for dental appointments in the year before the survey. The prevalence of dental caries was lower in this group of children (17%), than in the group without frequent returns, or the one not registered in the FHU (26%). It was concluded that the vaccines card can be a useful tool for tracking the frequency of babies to dentist.
authors.affiliation: Secretaria Municipal de Saúde, Prefeitura de Ponta Grossa, Ponta Grossa, PR, 84051-900, Brazil. geraldostocco@gmail.com
authors.forename: Geraldo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stocco
authors.forename: Marcia Helena
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Baldani
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005192:Family Health; D006078:Government Programs; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008499:Medical Records; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016730:Program Development; D014611:Vaccination