Impact of oral health integration training on children's receipt of oral assessment, fluoride varnish and dental services

Objectives To evaluate the impact of an oral health integration training program on children's receipt of oral health and dental services in Southern Oregon. Methods Children under 19 years with at least 6 months of Medicaid enrolment and at least one healthcare visit from 2014 to 2018 were included. The treatment group included children with at least one visit with a trained provider (n = 5541); children with no visits with trained providers (n = 8273) were the control group. The percentage of the treatment group who received oral health assessments was calculated, and regression models were developed to estimate the difference in likelihood of receiving fluoride varnish and dental services between treatment and control groups. Results The percentage of children receiving oral health assessments increased over time. Visiting a trained provider was consistently associated, each year, with a greater likelihood of receipt of fluoride varnish and preventive and diagnostic dental services but was not associated with treatment dental services or dental sealants. Conclusions This study reports evidence for the overall impact of an oral health integration training on children's receipt of oral and dental services. Health systems implementing these types of training strategies should consider how to reach specific underserved subgroups, increase paediatric dentists, and expand efforts to include older children.