Dental Public Health and Education Commons^™

Oral Health Promotion: Knowledge, Confidence, And Practices In Preventing Early-Severe Childhood Caries Of Virginia Wic Program Personnel, Lorraine Ann Fuller, Sharon C. Stull, Michele L. Darby, Susan Lynn Tolle

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

Purpose: This study assessed the oral health knowledge, confidence and practices of Virginia personnel in the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

Methods: In 2009, 257 WIC personnel were electronically emailed via an investigator-designed 22-item Survey Monkey® questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square and Fishers Exact tests compared personnel demographics and oral health knowledge, confidence and practices at the p≤0.01 and 0.05 significance level.

Results: Response rate was 68%. WIC personnel were knowledgeable about basic oral health concepts. More than half of those reporting were not confident assessing for visual signs of dental decay and do not routinely …

Oral Health Access And Service Utilization Of Foster Care Alumni, Ann Carrellas, Angelique G. Day

Angelique G Day

This mixed method study examines factors related to poor access to oral health care of young adults who have transitioned from foster care. Foster youth who left care without support were 4.7 times more likely and young women were 3.4 times more likely to have unmet dental needs. Interviews and focus groups supported the lack of oral health care many of these youth experience upon exiting foster care. Most states’ Medicaid programs do not provide comprehensive dental care for adults past the age of 20 and this is not changed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act of …