Dental home

pedodontics

1. DENTAL HOME

2. DEFINITION Dental home is an ongoing relationship between the dentist and 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. (AAPD)

3. OBJECTIVES To enhance the dentists ability to assist children and their parents or caregivers for optimum oral health care. To schedule early oral health examinations and preventive services for cost effectiveness. Individual child risk assessment for dental diseases. Monitoring the growth and development. To make the parents aware of when and how frequently should they visit a dental home for their child.

4. CHARACTERISTICS OF DENTAL HOME Characteristics Description Accessible Care provided in the child's community Family centered Recognition of the centeredness of the family Unbiased complete information is shared on an ongoing basis Continuous Same primary care providers from infancy through adolescence Comprehensive Healthcare available 24 hrs per day ,seven days per week Preventive ,primary, tertiary care provided Coordinated Families linked to support education and community services Compassionate Expressed and demonstrated concern for child and family Culturally competent Cultural background recognized , valued , respected

5. STEPS TO BE TAKEN WHEN PARENT / CAREGIVER APPROACH DENTAL HOME History Examination Risk assessment

6. ADVANTAGES Embraces the importance of early intervention with optimal preventive strategies chosen based on risk of patient Encourage the first dental visit by approximately 1 year age Practitioners can provide personalized preventive approaches for children based on their family histories , the oral examination and risk factors identify

7. An important feature of dental home is to provide anticipatory guidance to parents so that they are aware of their children's growth and development Preventive intervention can be personalized to the needs of child

8. SPECIALIZED CARE REFERRAL Another feature of dental home would be coordination of specialized care for child. When a child has been observed over a period , appropriate recommendations can be made for other treatments such as orthodontic referral and observations Dental home provides a wonderful opportunity for primary dental provider to recognize changes in growth and development that can be discussed with parent and appropriate recommendations to seek further consultation from the child’s physician

9. Dental home provides a wonderful opportunity for primary dental provider to recognize changes in growth and development that can be discussed with parent and appropriate recommendations to seek further consultation from the child’s physician The continuous care provided by a dental team also would recognize other developmental milestones that may suggest needed attention The office can track the sequencing of preventive interventions

10. CONCLUSION Dental home is a concept that deserves support, further investigation and in conjunction with medical home , would provide comprehensive health care to which all children are entitled.