The North Dakota Department of Health, the North Dakota Department of Human Services, and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry are partnering to address childhood tooth decay, the most common chronic disease of childhood, according to a press release.
Called the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Head Start Dental Home Initiative, the partnership will work to establish dental homes for children enrolled in Head Start in North Dakota. Brent Holman, D.D.S., a pediatric dentist practicing in Fargo, ND, has been named the coordinator for the initiative.
The goal of the partnership is to help establish dental homes for the more than 3,600 children enrolled in Head Start and Early Head Start in North Dakota. Although the initiative will not directly fund any dental services, it will develop a network of pediatric and general dentists to partner with Head Start.
Teams of dentists and Head Start personnel will be trained in optimal oral healthcare practices and ways to develop partnerships in their communities to help overcome challenges that many Head Start families face when trying to access dental care for their children.
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