Do school-based dental sealant programs reach higher risk children?

Abstract

In Ohio, targeting S-BSPs by family income-based school-level criteria was effective in reaching higher risk children.

Targeting school-based dental sealant programs: who is at “higher risk?”

“…To the extent that caregivers completing consent form/questionnaires were inaccurate in their responses, the findings would change. As reported elsewhere, however, our survey estimates for Medicaid enrollment and FRPMP‐enrollment were found to be consistent with actual data from those programs 20 …”

“…Although S‐BSPs may use FRPMP enrollment as a proxy for low family income and as an indicator group for its target population, the Surgeon General's Report on Oral Health (7) described higher risk children more broadly as “vulnerable populations less likely to receive private dental care, such as children enrolled in free or reduced‐cost lunch programs,” implying that other children could be included in the definition as well. An expanded definition of higher risk children – including access‐related indicators (ARIs) – composed of any child enrolled in either the FRPMP or Medicaid, or who have no dental insurance and no dental visit within the past year was used in an analysis of sealant prevalence among Ohio third grade children (20). In Ohio, during the time of this study, children could be eligible for Medicaid [200 percent of FPL (21)] but not for the FRPMP.…”

Prevalence and socioeconomic determinants of dental sealant use among schoolchildren in Saudi Arabia

“…Immediate measures must be taken to reach out to these children, particularly those of lower SES. Targeting high-risk schools to reach high-risk children is a practical and effective approach for increasing sealant prevalence [26]. Collaboration among different government agencies and providers is critical for implementing and sustaining such programmes.…”

Evaluation of School-Based Dental Sealant Programs: An Updated Community Guide Systematic Economic Review

“…An Ohio study compared sealant prevalence among high-risk (e.g., attended school where >50% children participated in free/reduced-price meal program) and low-risk third-graders. 12 Sealant prevalence among children attending schools with an SSP did not vary by risk status whereas, in schools without an SSP, sealant prevalence among low-risk children (43%) was notably higher than among high-risk children (29%). In both the 2002 and updated 2013 review, the Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force) issued a recommendation for use of SSPs based on strong evidence of effectiveness in preventing dental caries and evidence indicating SSPs increase the number of children receiving sealants at school.…”