| Practice Type: |
Promising |
| Program Name: |
WIC and Dental Initiative |
| Organization: |
Pinellas County Health Department |
| Web site: |
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| Overview: |
WIC Clients (six months to four years old) received dental services including education, dental exam, and dental varnish application. At the same time they receive a second WIC nutrition education contact and WIC checks. WIC goal is to deliver nutrition education and preventive WIC and dental services to a population at high risk for caries. Dental goal is to decrease early childhood caries. Since the implementation date the WIC and Dental Initiative provided services to 21 WIC clients. Three clients required restorative care (decay was not extreme). One client required early care (extreme dental disease needing treatment to avoid serious problems). All other clients received preventative maintenance with the varnish application and were encouraged to schedule routine dental check ups. The Fluoride varnish is a thin coating of topical fluoride that should be applied judiciously to the tooth surface to protect it from decay. Fluoride varnish is indicated to retard, arrest, or reverse the disease process known as caries. |
| Year Submitted: |
2010 |
| Responsiveness and Innovation: |
Prevention of dental disease and improvement of nutritional staus. There is not place that clients who are not on Medicaid can receive dental care at a reduced cost in Pinellas County. In addition there are very few private dentists who accept client on Medicaid. The WIC and Dental Initiative provides needed dental services to WIC clients at risk in developing caries at the same time they receive WIC services. This practice also spreads the word in the community that dental services at the health department are available for children. There is no cost to the client on WIC when received the services from the initiative. This was the first callaboration between the WIC and Dental programs in Pinellas County to provide services at the same time to the WIC clients. Previously the WIC client was referred to dental for services if needed, however not on a consistant basis. Now with the new initiative the cleints are scheduled to receive services from dental the same time they receive services from the WIC Program. This practice brought together two programs to provide services at the same time in a callaborative manner. Please see the answer to the above question.The callaboration of two programs to each meet their goals and provide services to clients in a convenient and friendly manner. The WIC Program includes an outreach component where physician office visits and outreach events are routinely done. The community agencies and private providers refer to WIC and the WIC clients are given the opportunity to recieve dental services in addition to WIC services--at the same time and in a client friendly manner. |
| Agency and Community Roles: |
The WIC and Dental Initiative involved the full cooperation and participation of both the WIC Program and the Dental Program. Have the WIC and Dental staff buy in to the practice and market the service to the WIC clients. |
| Costs and Expenditures: |
Implementation started in March 2010. The implementation involved the cooperation of the WIC clinic staff and the dental staff. In-kind costs include the salaries and fringe benefits for the time of staff involved, which includes a WIC Nutrition Educator, WIC Senior Clerk, Dental Senior Clerk, Dentist, and a Dental Assistant. Cost for the pamphlets, appointment cards, survey cards, screening cards and dental forms and supplies. WIC allocation and Dental Revenue. |
| Implementation: |
Prevention of dental disease and improvement of nutritional staus. There is not place that clients who are not on Medicaid can receive dental care at a reduced cost in Pinellas County. In addition there are very few private dentists who accept client on Medicaid. The WIC and Dental Initiative provides needed dental services to WIC clients at risk in developing caries at the same time they receive WIC services. This practice also spreads the word in the community that dental services at the health department are available for children. There is no cost to the client on WIC when received the services from the initiative. This was the first callaboration between the WIC and Dental programs in Pinellas County to provide services at the same time to the WIC clients. Previously the WIC client was referred to dental for services if needed, however not on a consistant basis. Now with the new initiative the cleints are scheduled to receive services from dental the same time they receive services from the WIC Program. This practice brought together two programs to provide services at the same time in a callaborative manner. Please see the answer to the above question.The callaboration of two programs to each meet their goals and provide services to clients in a convenient and friendly manner. The WIC Program includes an outreach component where physician office visits and outreach events are routinely done. The community agencies and private providers refer to WIC and the WIC clients are given the opportunity to recieve dental services in addition to WIC services--at the same time and in a client friendly manner. |
| Sustainability: |
One child who had stopped eating well and was very fussy had a severe dental disease that could have resulted in extreme poor health problems. The dental disease was not found by the medical care provider or the WIC Program. It took the dental initiative to change the outcome of this child's health. Dates have been set for the coming year to continue the practice. The initiative meets the goals of both programs. |
| Lessons Learned: |
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