Children who begin seeing a
dental provider at an early age are less likely to develop cavities, tooth
decay and other conditions that may lead to more serious health issues later in
life.
In April 2023, NYC
Health + Hospitals announced it now offers preventive dental hygiene services
at its pediatric practices within the 11 public hospitals in addition to Gotham Health Belvis and Morrisania neighborhood
clinics. Dental
hygienists will perform assessments, provide oral hygiene education and apply a
fluoride varnish. Dental hygienists will also assist parents in obtaining a
referral to a NYC Health + Hospitals pediatric dental practice so their
children can get a comprehensive dental exam and treatment, if necessary.
The
new program is part of a broader effort to educate families about the
importance of oral health and hygiene. Children who begin seeing a dental
provider at an early age are less likely to develop cavities, tooth decay and
other conditions that may lead to more serious health issues later in life.
“Childhood caries, or cavities, are the
most common chronic disease of early childhood, and this ‘silent epidemic’ is
one that I see every day as a pediatrician while caring for my patients in
clinic,” said Shivali Choxi, M.D., NYC Health + Hospitals Pediatrician and
Director of Pediatric Primary Care Innovation. “Oral health care is integral to
providing high-quality and comprehensive well-child care. Without the former,
you cannot have the latter, and why it is so important to integrate dental care
within pediatric primary care. Both pediatricians and embedded dental
hygienists are uniquely positioned to provide the important counseling, care,
and connection to the pediatric dentist, to promote the overall health and
wellbeing of children and their families.”
“Establishing good habits with children at
an early age, with primary teeth, sets the correct course for good oral health
throughout life,” said Victor Badner, D.M.D., M.P.H., NYC Health +
Hospitals/Jacobi Medical Center North Central Bronx Chair of Dentistry and Oral
& Maxillofacial Surgery.
NYC Health + Hospitals is committed to
bringing education and preventive dental hygiene services to the pediatric
practices for the ease, convenience and benefit of its youngest patients and
families. Children see their pediatrician for well-baby and well-child visits
nine times in the first two years of life. The pediatric and dentistry teams at
NYC Health + Hospitals see these regular check-ups as an opportunity to educate
families about oral health and hygiene. Children should start seeing a
pediatric dentist when their first tooth appears or no later than their first
birthday, according to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.
This program was the culmination of more than seven years
of collaborative work between the Departments of Pediatric and Dentistry at
Jacobi Medical Center. It started as a HRSA Title VII grant to enhance and
expand the pediatric dental residency program and has culminated in collaboration
opportunities with the Departments of Pediatrics.
About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest
municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New
Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five
boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and
specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma
centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency and MetroPlus
health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of
more than 43,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers,
without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information,
visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org
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Courtesy of NYC Health + Hospitals
Published on May 10, 2023