DANBURY PUBLIC SCHOOL COMMUNITY ORAL HEALTH INITIATIVE

Tooth decay. It's the most common - and preventable - chronic disease among U.S. children. Yet thousands of Connecticut children are slow to smile because of limited or no access to quality, affordable dental care.

That's why the Connecticut Health Foundation (CT Health) awarded a three-year, $360,000 grant in 2007 to the Danbury Public School Community Oral Health Initiative, along with grants to several other promising oral health collaboratives committed to building on their important work after CT Health funding ends.

"Through a school-based program started from scratch, the Danbury collaborative has more than doubled the number of children on Healthcare for UninSured Kids and Youth (HUSKY) who receive treatment and nearly tripled the number who get preventive care," says Joanna Douglas, BDS, DDS, CT Health's oral health consultant. "They also have done a great job integrating their nondental community partners (physicians, pediatric health centers, social service agencies, etc.) into Danbury's health care delivery system."

Kim Doan, Danbury School System dental services coordinator, says the collaborative is developing a plan to demonstrate how it will sustain and enhance direct programming, while strengthening its ability to realize its ambitious goals. "While recent increases in Medicaid reimbursement rates will help us achieve financial sustainability, our new CT Health grant will enable us to achieve other important efficiencies. Technical assistance from the foundation also will help ensure that collaborative members continue communicating, so the need for dental care among the children we serve will be continually reinforced."

Looking ahead two years, Doan envisions a self-sustaining community collaborative overseeing oral health programs that will include:

Mobile dental units serving both the Danbury and New Fairfield school districts
Dental care at the Roberts Avenue School
Continuation of prenatal and age-one outreach programs through the Women, Infants and Children program
An independent Head Start dental program

Now, that's something to smile about.

http://www.danbury.k12.ct.us/dental/dental/Home.html