As the Medicaid Dental Program Director for the state of North Carolina, I find it imperative that I make corrections in response to "Look Who’s Practicing Dentistry," in which Dr. Meskin tried to describe the great new initiative that is taking place (or should I say, evolving) to address eradicating early childhood caries, or ECC, in children from birth to 3 years of age. It seems to me that we must help the children, for they are our future, right?
First of all, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded the initiative called "Into the Mouths of Babes" in September 2000.
This initiative is not the same as the Smart Smiles Project, which has ended and is in an evaluative phase. Into the Mouths of Babes is the statewide Medicaid initiative that allows physicians and staff to screen for caries, teach dietary and nutritional information to the child’s parent or caregiver and apply a dental varnish to teeth if present.
This project holds great promise to help children who are not frequenting the offices of our dental colleagues but who do frequent the offices of pediatricians or family practice physicians for well-baby checkups and vaccinations. Where better to start with dental prevention then where you will find the most kids?
This initiative is working well here in North Carolina, and once the initiative has been evaluated, we are sure there will be policy implications for the rest of the country and the world for preventing ECC in very young children. It will also show that other colleagues in the health care arena, in collaboration with dentistry, can take responsibility in making optimal oral health a part of total well-being.
This collaborative effort should ultimately improve access to care, which is a real problem for the indigent as they seek dental services across the country. North Carolina Medicaid is very proud of its efforts with this initiative as a first state to be granted the federal funds to provide these valuable services statewide to the children as well as to investigate and evaluate the efficacy of this special oral screening preventive package.
North Carolina should be applauded for its efforts. Thank you for the opportunity to respond.
