Center for the Advancement of Underserved Children

Recommendations

• Expand current school-based oral health programs modeled after the Columbia St. Mary’s School-based Oral Health Program.
• Expand early prevention services that target infant and early childhood populations by increasing fluoride varnish applications at pre-school and Head Start centers.
• Increase resources to expand existing large clinics and the capacity of Federally Qualified Health Centers to deliver oral health care by seeking government and private funding.
• Seek state action to create a single dental benefits administrator for the purposes of managing oral health care for families covered by Medicaid and other government programs.
• Increase the number of dental providers serving the Medicaid and uninsured populations through loan forgiveness programs; amend Wisconsin’s exam requirements for state licensure; offer special licensing provisions for foreign-trained dentists; and allow the delegation of duties to auxiliary dental staff.
• Establish an oral health care referral system that assists parents in obtaining oral health care for their child using an oral health coordinator linked to the school-based oral health programs.
• Develop dental emergency facilities to provide immediate care for patients who have urgent oral health needs by identifying private dental offices willing to provide treatment and through the establishment of on-site dental clinics at community organizations.
• Increase the proportion of children who receive annual risk assessments through a uniform use of risk assessment tools and training of medical providers, school staff and community health providers.
• Increase the state of Wisconsin dental Medicaid reimbursement rates and create preferred provider agreements with dental providers willing to guarantee access to the Medicaid population.
• Encourage the Milwaukee Area Technical College dental hygiene program to develop broader
  pediatric and public health dentistry experiences and encourage increased programming with
  Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Dental Center, Madre Angela Dental Clinic, Federally
  Qualified Health Centers and Head Start.
• Offer dental clinics the resources to utilize services of an oral health consultant to evaluate
  their oral health programs and make recommendations for achieving greater efficiency and
  quality service.
• Increase parental participation in oral health education, prevention, and treatment by inviting
  parents to visit school-based programs and providing information on risk factors associated with poor oral health.
• Implement oral health training programs for health care providers who work in pediatric and
  family practice and provide the necessary information to refer patients to an appropriate oral
  health care provider.
• Advocate for the MCW and the University of Wisconsin Medical School to implement a
  comprehensive oral health curriculum as part of the formal training for all health professionals treating children.

This plan can also serve as a tool to raise awareness among the public and media; educate legislators at the local, state and national level; and be used as a guide when implementing oral health programs.