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Introduced
in August of 2000, the Dental Health Promotion program addresses
the growing challenge of access to oral health care for Medicaid
recipients and the uninsured. The program educates area youth
about the importance of brushing teeth and the impact of nutrition
on tooth development. Through promotion, the program aims
to prevent dental disease and decay in youth.
For local dental care resources, please click here.
Dental
Health Promotion activities include:
Water
Fluoridation
Community
water fluoridation is adjusting and monitoring fluoride to
reach optimal concentrations in community drinking water.
National health objectives call for 75% of the U.S. population
served by community water systems to be drinking optimally fluoridated
water by 2010; currently fewer than 2 out of 3 persons have
access to fluoridated drinking water. The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) profiled the wide-spread
practice of fluoridating community drinking water to prevent
dental decay as one of the Ten Great Public Health Achievements of the 20th Century.
Community
Forums were held on Children's Dental Health Issues in the
cities of Whitehall and Montague on February 2l, and 28, 2002.
These two cities have well systems which are not fluoridated,
and the amount of naturally occurring fluoride in the water
is approximately .1 ppm, much lower than the optimal 1.0 needed
to reduce dental decay. The Community Forum was used to bring
dental education to the public, and to give information about
the benefits of water fluoridation. Community dentists spoke
in favor of water fluoridation and confirmed the benefits
of reduced decay in adults and children. The general
consensus was that the public would like more information,
and would like to continue the fluoride rinse programs in
the elementary schools of Whitehall and Montague.
School
Fluoride Rinse Program
Children
in grades 1-5 rinse with a 0.2 percent sodium fluoride rinse
(bubblegum, grape, root beer, apple or chocolate flavors)
for one minute, once a week. The fluoride is mixed and distributed
to the classrooms by volunteer parents, who donate approximately
1.5 hours of their time to the program per week. Each participant
must have a signed consent form on file at the health department
to take part in this program and pay an annual fee of $6.50. The fluoride rinse program is currently offered in the following Muskegon
County elementary schools: Twin Lake, Oakridge Upper and Lower in Muskegon, Shoreline in Whitehall, Oehrli in Montague, Holton, Beechnau
and St. Catherine in Ravenna.
During the 2009-2010 school year, 1,034 children participated at eight schools. A grant from Dr. Woody and Jan Wood Community Pediatric Fund of the Community Foundation
has helped 380 of the children receive the fluoride rinse program in school, whose parents could not
afford to pay the annual fee ($6.50) this year. Six schools participated in this waiver program which
has helped increase participation from 954 children last year to 1,034 children this year.
This
campaign was created to educate about the ravages of baby
bottle tooth decay (bbtd), a severe form of dental decay which
affects young children between the ages of 1-3 years-old.
Campaign materials included billboards , postcards , radio
public service announcements . Funds from community sponsors
are solicited to run this five year campaign.
Images of Baby Bottle Tooth Decay (Source: American Dental Association)
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Mild Decay |
Moderate Decay |
Severe Decay |
Baby
Bottle Tooth Decay Power Point Presentation for Primary Care
Providers
A
Task Force of the Muskegon Dental Health Coalition developed
a Power Point Presentation for primary care providers and staff, to teach how to identify
this destructive form of dental decay in the 1-3 year-old
population and to teach their patients' parents how to prevent
this from happening to their children.
Created
for use by teachers, students, and medical and dental professionals
in the community, the Dental Resource Library includes videos
of all facets of dentistry (prevention for ages 0-5, 6-18,
baby bottle tooth decay, sealants, home care basics, periodontal
disease and senior care) and brochures on bbtd, brushing,
flossing, primary eruption schedule, sealants, oral piercing,
tobacco and diabetes. There are teaching aids such as large
toothbrush and mouth models to demonstrate brushing, the popular
Dudley and Dee Dee series of videos, brochures, and coloring
pages. To reserve supplies, please call (231) 724-1283.
Dental Hygiene students from Ferris State University and Grand Rapids Community College have helped in community outreach programs since our program’s inception in August of 2000. Events they are especially active in are the yearly Children’s Dental Health event at the Lakes Mall in October and the annual Give Kids a Smile Day event in February. They have created display boards for educating the community, assisted in screenings, assisted in making Toothprints for children, educated parents and children about dental health and developed x-rays, assisted dentists and dental hygienists and placed dental sealants on children. Because of this liaison we have heard that many of the dental hygiene students have a new understanding of public health dentistry and it’s need in the community.
Awards
- The Dental
Health Promotion program won a National Counties Award
for the Baby Bottle Tooth Decay Community Awareness
Campaign in 2002.
- The Dental
Health Promotion program was recognized as a finalist
for the third annual Hackley Healthy Kids Award for
exemplary work on behalf of Muskegon County children.
- The Muskegon District Dental Society presented a Community Dental Service Award to Dental Health Coordinator, Jackie Balcom, RDH, MEd on October 14th, 2008. The plaque reads,"for outstanding dedication and leadership in promoting community programs and advocacy to advance the oral health of the citizens of Muskegon County." A grant in the amount of $1,000 was also given to the Dental Health Promotion program. The grant was the first made from the Muskegon District Dental Society's Community Dental Endowment Fund.
Useful
Links
Dental Health Promotion Program Annual Report (2010)
Michigan Oral Health Coalition
Michigan Oral Health Plan
Find a Dentist: Michigan Oral Health Directory
Dental Directory - Treating Patients with Special Care Needs
Dental Health Promotion Program Statistics
Muskegon Give Kids A Smile Day Statistics
For more information, call (231) 724-6350 or email healtheducation@co.muskegon.mi.us.
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