title: Outcomes of a Quality Improvement Project Examining Early Childhood Caries and Improving Identification of At Risk Patients in a Pediatric Medical Home Setting.
abstract: Early childhood caries (ECC) is a widespread childhood disease that disproportionately affects children with disabilities, those in lower-income households and minority children. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that all children be screened for ECC and referred to a dentist by the age of one. This quality improvement project took place at a hospital-affiliated pediatric clinic. A caries risk screening tool was implemented at 9-, 12-, and 18-month well child check-ups for 3 months. A retrospective chart review was performed for comparison purposes. The quality improvement project indicated improvement in identification of children at high-risk for ECC.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC. Electronic address: ebjackson14@gmail.com.
authors.forename: E Brooke
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Jackson
mesh_terms: D003731:Dental Caries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D058996:Quality Improvement; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Early Childhood Caries; Pediatrics; Primary care; Quality improvement; Screening