Grants in Action

Colorado Partnership for Children’s Oral Health

New Guidelines for Children and Dentistry

Age one, not three. This is one of the messages that the Colorado Partnership for Children’s Oral Health (COPCOH) wants to get across to parents, dentists and health care providers – that most children need to start seeing a dentist at the age of one.

“People don’t understand how many kids are affected by early childhood decay,” says dentist Terry Batliner, a practicing dentist and the dental director for COPCOH. “Estimates vary but in some populations, 50 to 70 percent of kids have untreated decay. As you move from those with dental insurance living in affluent areas to those living in poverty, the incidence of decay is much higher.”

Getting the message out is one challenge. Finding dental care can be another. COPCOH was launched earlier this summer by several foundations, including Rose Community Foundation, to address gaps in dental care identified through an ongoing collaborative project started in 2007 called Cavity Free at Three. A significant stumbling block to accomplishing the goal of cavity-free children is that there are not enough dentists who provide care to children insured through Medicaid, or to young children and pregnant women.

Including pregnant women is important because bacteria is often passed from mother to child, usually soon after birth. “If a mother has a lot of dental decay or gum problems, the child is likely to have dental problems also,” Batliner says.

Gum disease is caused by bacteria that promotes inflammation around the gums. Once inflammation becomes chronic, it can lead to bone loss around the teeth. Eventually, this can lead to tooth loss. Low-income mothers are less likely to have regular dental care, which means their children often pay the price with decay and other problems.

Francine Barela is grateful that she learned about the importance of early dental care as a teen mother. “My high school had a teen parenting program. They told me I needed to take my daughter in when she was one.” she says. Now the mother of five girls ranging in age from 13 to three, Barela books appointments for her children every six months at Dental Aid in Boulder to stay on top of their oral health. Her children are covered by Medicaid.

“We want to help more dentists become involved with Medicaid,” says Batliner. COPCOH plans to develop tools to show dentists how accepting Medicaid can benefit their practices by filling empty chair time, and to help facilitate the sometimes-frustrating process of signing up to be a Medicaid provider.

The Colorado Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing, which administers Medicaid in the state, is another partner in the COPCOH project. The collaborative effort also involves nonprofit organizations, higher education institutions and other state agencies. All of the entities are working together toward the goal of all children and pregnant women in Colorado having access to quality dental care.

In his dental practice, Batliner has seen why early dental care is an imperative for children. “A lot of these kids are really in pain. Their behaviors may be lousy and sometimes it’s because they are so uncomfortable,” says Batliner. “And it’s not just a comfort issue. Decay can lead to serious infection.”

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From Impact - Summer 2011, Rose Community Foundation's newsletter

Good Reasons to Start Early and Expand Dental Care
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease of children aged 6 to 11 years (25%), and adolescents aged 12 to 19 years (59%).
Tooth decay is four times more common than asthma among adolescents aged 14 to 17 years (15%).
Less than one of three children enrolled in Medicaid received at least one preventive dental service in a recent year.