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The AAPD Foundation has been busy preparing for February with several projects and events:

Spring by Dannon’s Grins and Games

With the increased consumer usage of bottled water, it is critical to educate families about the different ways to maintain healthy teeth, particularly regarding fluoridated water. Spring! Fluoride to Go is a contributor to that educational process.

As part of its continued partnership with the AAPD Foundation, Dannon is providing a newly updated Grins and Games activity book. It has puzzles and games that also help educate families on oral health and serve as a reminder to kids about the fun and importance of caring for their teeth.

The New Parent Kit

Henry Schein, Inc. has underwritten a New Parent Kit to be distributed in four test hospitals in 2007-2008. The first distribution will take place in conjunction with Children’s Dental Health Month 2007. New mothers will receive the kit before being discharged from the hospital. The pilot seeks to determine if parental awareness of oral health care for themselves and their infant results in better actual care. The kit contains items for adult and infant oral care, along with messaging to underscore the link between oral and systemic health for moms and their kids.

The Dental Home Mailer

The AAPD Foundation has collaborated with the Dental Trade Alliance Foundation and the American Dental Association to create The Dental Home: It’s Never Too Early to Start, which was distributed to almost 100,000 general and pediatric dentists in the United States.

The Dental Home is the ongoing relationship between the dentist, who is the primary dental dare provider, and the patient. It includes comprehensive oral health care, beginning no later than Age One.

Establishing A Dental Home: Using the AAPD’s Caries-Risk Assessment Tool (CAT) as a First Step

With the support of Listerine® Agent Cool Blue™ Plaque-Detecting Rinse the AAPD Foundation mailed the AAPD’s Caries Risk Assessment Tool (CAT), along with an explanation of Early Childhood Caries, to all ADA-member general dentists and AAPD members in the United States. CAT provides a means of classifying caries risk at a point in time and, therefore, should be applied periodically to assess changes in an individual’s risk status. CAT can be used by both dental and non-dental personnel.

Non-dental health care providers should refer all children, especially those at moderate or high risk, to a dentist for oral health care. This helps establish the Dental Home, which is the ongoing relationship between the dentist and the patient, inclusive of all aspects of oral health care delivered in a comprehensive, continuously accessible, coordinated, and family-centered way. Establishment of a Dental Home begins no later than 12 months of age and includes referral to dental specialists when appropriate.