DentaQuest to help Fla. county assess oral health

Dec 13, 2010

The Alachua County Health Department (ACHD) will receive funds from the DentaQuest Foundation to support an Oral Health Coalition that will conduct a county-wide needs assessment of low-income children and adults.

This grant will benefit citizens of Alachua County by helping develop an understanding of the oral health needs and resources of residents, officials said in a press release. The project will include a survey with low-income adults regarding their access to services, perceived needs, and experiences, as well as a screening survey of children. Based on the results of the needs assessment and a review of best practices of other communities, the coalition will develop an Oral Health Plan for Alachua County.

In a 2009 phone survey of 400 households in Alachua County, more than 40% of respondents said paying for dental care was difficult, and 13.5% ranked access to dental care as the biggest health-related problem in the county.

The 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) reported 22.9% of Alachua County adult residents were unable to see a dentist in the prior year because of cost. The data show that access is worse for minorities and those with lower socioeconomic status, and lower than comparable state rates. The 2002 BRFSS found that 38.9% of adults had lost at least one tooth due to disease. The data, again, suggest that tooth loss was worse among adults with low income and low educational status.

"We estimate 200 or more children a year are actually admitted to the hospital for a life-threatening dental infection in the state of Florida," said Frank Catalanotto, DDS, chair of the University of Florida department of community and behavioral dentistry, in the release.

Representatives from the university's dental school will serve on the oral health coalition, along with representatives from the ACHD, School Board of Alachua County, Alachua County Dental Society, Santa Fe College, Alachua County Department of Community Support Services, and United Way of North Central Florida.