Objectives: The objective of the study is to improve access to dental services for pre-school children, identify and remineralize early “white spot” lesions and improve parents/guardians dental awareness and knowledge of oral health.
Methods: An outreach service was developed for Kindergarten children (aged 3 – 5 years) named Kinder Wide Smiles during 2013. Sixty Kindergartens throughout the Geelong (44) and Colac-Otway (16) region were visited. Participant Information and Consent Forms for dental examinations and fluoride application were distributed to parents/guardians. Children received three dental check-ups during the year, given toothbrushes and toothpaste at each visit and concentrated fluoride applied (0.25 ml/tooth of Duraphat® Colgate-Palmolive Pty. Ltd.) to white spot lesions. Parent engagement sessions were conducted during Visit 2.
Results: During 2013, 2,371 children received dental examinations. A snapshot of preliminary results from 13 Kindergartens (Geelong region comparing visits 1 – 2) has shown that 110 individual tooth surfaces improved. Positive responses from parents/guardians have been received regarding the effectiveness of the engagement sessions (92.5% of parents found the session helpful). Two virtual chairs have been created as two dental teams visit Kindergartens throughout the Barwon Region, significantly easing pressure at Community dental clinics.
Conclusion: The Kinder Wide Smiles program has proved to be effective in achieving its objectives and has been extended to Primary School (Prep year) children in 2014.