OBJECTIVE: To determine dental attendance and treatment outcomes following two models of dental screening. DESIGN: An observational prospective cohort study. SETTING:Infant, primary and junior schools in the North West of England. SUBJECTS:Children aged six to nine years at the start of the study. INTERVENTIONS: Subjects received a screening examination according to either a 'Traditional model' or 'New model' of school dental screening. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Attendance at a dentist within four months of the intervention and treatment received by children referred via the 'New model' with caries in their permanent teeth. RESULTS: In the 'New model' of school dental screening 46% of screened positive and 41% of screened negative children attended a dentist during the study period. Some 44% of children referred with caries in permanent teeth attended a dentist and 53% of those attending received treatment for the referred condition. Larger proportions of children from disadvantaged backgrounds were screened positive but higher proportions of children from more affluent backgrounds attended the dentist and subsequently received treatment. CONCLUSION: School dental screening has a minimal impact on dental attendance and only a small proportion of screened positive children receive appropriate treatment. The programme fails to reduce inequalities in utilisation of dental services.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: To determine dental attendance and treatment outcomes following two models of dental screening. DESIGN: An observational prospective cohort study. SETTING:Infant, primary and junior schools in the North West of England. SUBJECTS:Children aged six to nine years at the start of the study. INTERVENTIONS: Subjects received a screening examination according to either a 'Traditional model' or 'New model' of school dental screening. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Attendance at a dentist within four months of the intervention and treatment received by children referred via the 'New model' with caries in their permanent teeth. RESULTS: In the 'New model' of school dental screening 46% of screened positive and 41% of screened negative children attended a dentist during the study period. Some 44% of children referred with caries in permanent teeth attended a dentist and 53% of those attending received treatment for the referred condition. Larger proportions of children from disadvantaged backgrounds were screened positive but higher proportions of children from more affluent backgrounds attended the dentist and subsequently received treatment. CONCLUSION: School dental screening has a minimal impact on dental attendance and only a small proportion of screened positive children receive appropriate treatment. The programme fails to reduce inequalities in utilisation of dental services.
Authors: Suchitra Nelson; Jason Mandelaris; Gerald Ferretti; Masahiro Heima; Charles Spiekerman; Peter Milgrom Journal: J Public Health Dent Date: 2011-10-10 Impact factor: 1.821
Authors: Michaela Goodwin; Richard Emsley; Michael Kelly; Eric Rooney; Matthew Sutton; Martin Tickle; Rebecca Wagstaff; Tanya Walsh; William Whittaker; Iain A Pretty Journal: BMC Oral Health Date: 2016-02-01 Impact factor: 2.757