title: An Innovative Project Breaks Down Barriers to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable Young Children in Los Angeles County.
abstract: Despite the high rate of untreated tooth decay, many young children in California under six years of age have never been to a dentist. Numerous and complex barriers to access to oral health care for young children exist, and a multifaceted approach is required to improve receipt of preventive and treatment services that could improve the oral health of this population. This policy brief describes the UCLA-First 5 LA 21st Century Dental Homes Project, which was designed to improve oral health care for young children in 12 Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) clinic sites with co-located dental and primary care services and its accessibility in their service areas throughout Los Angeles County. The project funded infrastructure and staffing, provided technical assistance to improve operations, trained clinical personnel to provide oral health care to young children, implemented a quality improvement learning collaborative, trained parents and child care providers in oral hygiene and healthy habits, and disseminated information to promote effective policies. Early data on the project indicated twofold increases in delivery of both diagnostics and treatment visits for young children, and a threefold increase in preventive services for young children during the program.
authors.affiliation: UCLA School of Dentistry
authors.forename: James J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Crall
authors.affiliation: UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
authors.forename: Jackie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Illum
authors.affiliation: UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.affiliation: UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
authors.forename: Nadereh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pourat
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002140:California; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003153:Community Health Services; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003752:Dental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006078:Government Programs; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011203:Poverty; D011320:Primary Health Care; D035862:Vulnerable Populations