Chinn Courtney Hugh
Assistant professor in the Section of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
Pediatr Dent. 2011 Sep-Oct;33(5):403-8.
Head Start and Early Head Start (HS/EHS) programs have partnered with the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry to promote oral health and increase access to dental homes. Preparing HS/EHS staff for issues related to pediatric oral health promises to improve effectiveness of this collaboration. This paper's purpose was to describe the Columbia Head Start Oral Health Program (C-HSOHP) and changes in HS/EHS staff pediatric oral health knowledge and competencies after participating in C-HSOHP.
Four HS/EHS grantees in New York City engaged in the 2008-09 C-HSOHP. A convenience sample of 61 staff completed pre- and postself assessments of knowledge and competencies.
Significant paired mean improvements were found for staff-reported level of preparation to explain dental issues during pregnancy, the tooth decay process, and preparing parents for their child's first dental visit. Significant improvements were found in staff confidence in teaching parents about children's oral health issues, referring for pediatric dental services, and talking to a dentist about a concern.
The Columbia Head Start Oral Health Program was effective in improving Head Start/Early Head Start staff self-confidence and self-perceived preparedness in teaching parents about oral health, applying oral health knowledge to HS/EHS programs, communicating with dental professionals, and improving access to pediatric dental services.
“启智计划”和“早期启智计划”（HS/EHS）已与美国儿科学会牙科分会合作，以促进口腔健康并增加获得牙科保健服务的机会。让HS/EHS工作人员做好应对儿科口腔健康相关问题的准备，有望提高这种合作的成效。本文旨在描述哥伦比亚启智计划口腔健康项目（C-HSOHP）以及HS/EHS工作人员在参与C-HSOHP后儿科口腔健康知识和能力的变化。
纽约市的四家HS/EHS受资助机构参与了2008 - 2009年的C-HSOHP。61名工作人员的便利样本完成了知识和能力的前后自我评估。
工作人员报告在解释孕期牙齿问题、龋齿形成过程以及帮助家长为孩子首次看牙做准备方面的准备程度有显著的配对均值改善。工作人员在向家长传授儿童口腔健康问题、转介儿科牙科服务以及与牙医讨论相关问题方面的信心有显著提高。
哥伦比亚启智计划口腔健康项目在提高启智计划/早期启智计划工作人员在向家长传授口腔健康知识、将口腔健康知识应用于HS/EHS项目、与牙科专业人员沟通以及增加获得儿科牙科服务机会方面的自信和自我认知准备程度方面是有效的。
