Picture It! Capturing Cavity Prevention!

Health care access

San Fernando Valley Central LA West LA East LA

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Tooth decay is the most prevalent chronic childhood disease in the world, and dental issues are the leading cause of school absences in the United States. California is among the worst states in the nation when it comes to pediatric dental disease which affects a child’s overall healthy development as it impacts their ability to learn, speak, eat comfortably, and feel good about themselves. In Los Angeles County according to the LA Trust, nearly 40% of pre-school children had untreated dental cavities, compared to 28% nationally. KCDC predominantly serves low-income communities and sees an average of 14,000 students throughout LA County through school screenings and within our dental home. These statistics do not communicate the disproportionate number of low-income children of color who are affected. 50% of the four, five and six- year-olds seen by KCDC’s team have severe tooth decay with increased cases from the COVID pandemic, corroborating data from LA County Public Health.

KCDC is the only clinic in LA County to bring free dental screenings to schools to push for early intervention and prevention of tooth decay and oral disease. We have 108 school partnerships nurtured over years to build rapport with staff, students and families. While we offer these services for free, they are conducted by licensed dental professionals and include limited visual examinations, fluoride treatments, toothbrushes, brushing and flossing instruction, and demonstrations so every encounter costs us $35 thus securing funding is crucial. We hope adding intraoral cameras to take real time photos of urgent decay or oral health issues will increase treatment compliance. We encounter many families without training or education on oral health habits to prevent decay. The goal is to provide parents with a general sense of their child's dental health, information on affordable dental treatments, and reinforce daily oral hygiene habits. We have seen a 30%-40% reduction in decay year over year. We conduct follow up processes with schools to reach families and provide access to care at our free or low cost clinic. Every cavity will eventually require a root canal, crown or implant costing thousands of dollars in treatment which is a huge barrier to restoration for low income families who opt to deal with missing or broken teeth which can lead to infections, affect heart and organ health and overall development. Early prevention and intervention are the only ways to stop decay.

Our vision for our free dental screening program is for that encounter to multiply health impacts for that child or individual, their family and support system. While tooth decay is the number one chronic childhood disease in the world and nation, it is completely preventable. Prevention can and should start prior to birth to educate young mothers on the dangers of milk rot that can affect development from birth. If decay could be reduced, then visits to the ER, absenteeism due to mouth pain, unrecognized pain that manifesting as behavioral issues, and future costly dental procedures like implants are reduced. Basic daily brushing and flossing learned and passed to family members including next generation will also help low income families understand impact and importance. We strive for 5-8% reduction each year in revisit screenings and work with partner dental programs like UCLA, LAC Pub Health, homeless shelters and hospitals to provide data and replicate our program to other areas.