Assessing Risks of Early Childhood Caries in Primary Care Practice Using Electronic Health Records and Neighborhood Data.

CONTEXT: Early childhood caries (ECC) is a persistent public health challenge, affecting more than 56% of US toddlers and preschool-aged children. Despite this, ECC is largely preventable with routine oral hygiene practices, diet, and application of topical fluoride. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the utilization of preventive oral health care in primary care practices and evaluated the variation in patient characteristic and geographic disparities. DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective study using electronic health records (EHRs) over a 2-year period. Patients' home addresses were geocoded and linked to census-based neighborhood statistics and fluoridated water accessibility. Multiple logistic regression modeling was used to assess the risk of ECC in patients with fluoride preventive care, controlled for demographics, comorbid conditions, and neighborhood risk factors. PARTICIPANTS: Patients aged 6 to 71 months who had primary care providers at family medicine and general pediatric clinics in a large academic medical center. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The presence of dental caries based on diagnoses in EHRs. RESULTS: The study consisted of 10 836 patients: 17% treated with topical fluoride varnish (TFV), 12% prescribed oral fluoride supplement, 6.1% with both TFV and supplement, and 64% without fluoride treatment. Patients with fluoride treatment were 24% to 53% less likely to have ECC. Children living in rural and nonfluoridated water communities had 1.7 to 1.8 times greater risk of developing ECC. Minority, under/uninsured, and low-income patients also were at an increased risk of ECC. CONCLUSION: Despite continuing efforts to improve access to dental care for vulnerable populations, substantial disparities remain among socioeconomically disadvantaged children. To address dental care shortage, primary care clinicians should serve as the safety net to care for vulnerable and underserved children who have no or limited access to oral health services. Future research into the collaboration between primary care and dental providers at the level of both practice and professional education should be considered.

Integrating Oral Health into Health Professions School Curricula.

Oral health is essential to human health. Conditions associated with poor oral health involve all organ systems and many major disease categories including infectious disease, cardiovascular disease, chronic pain, cancer, and mental health. Outcomes are also associated with health equity. Medical education organizations including the Association of American Medical Colleges and National Academy of Medicine recommend that oral health be part of medical education. However, oral health is not traditionally included in many medical school, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner curricula. Several challenges explain this exclusion including lack of time, expertise, and prioritization; we therefore provide suggestions for integrating oral health education into the health professions school curriculum. These recommendations offer guidance for enhancing the oral health curriculum across institutions. We include key organizational and foundational steps, strategies to link oral health with existing content, and approaches to achieve curricular sustainability.