title: Disease management of early childhood caries: results of a pilot quality improvement project.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose is to report findings of a quality improvement (QI) project implemented at two hospital-based dental clinics that care for children with early childhood caries (ECC).
  
  
  METHODS
  We tested a disease management (DM) approach in children younger than age 60 months with ECC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 30 months, for the 403 and 234 DM patients at Children's Hospital Boston (CHB) and Saint Joseph Hospital (SJH) who returned for at least two visits, rates of new cavitation, pain, and referrals to the OR were 26.1, 13.4 and 10.9% for CHB and 41.0, 7.3 and 14.9% for SJH. Rates of new cavitation, pain, and referrals to the OR for historical controls were 75.2, 21.7, and 20.9% for CHB and 71.3, 31.3, and 25.0% for SJH.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A risk-based DM approach utilizing QI strategies to address ECC can be implemented into practice and has the potential to improve care and health outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital Boston and Developmental Biology (Pediatric Dentistry) at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Manwai.ng@childrens.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Man Wai
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Gay
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Torresyap
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Melvin
authors.forename: Dionne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kane
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scoville
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohiomoba
mesh_terms: D002662:Child Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000628:therapy*; D003752:Dental Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care