The AAPD and Head Start are partnering at the national, regional, state and local levels to develop a national network of dentists to link Head Start children with "dental homes," train teams of pediatric and general dentists and Head Start personnel in optimal oral health care practices, and assist Head Start programs in obtaining comprehensive services to meet the full range of Head Start children's oral health needs. The partnership between AAPD and Head Start works to help fight children's tooth decay, the most common chronic childhood disease and a critical problem among children participating in Head Start. In fact, Head Start directors, program specialists, staff and even parents have reported that access to oral health services is the number one health issue affecting Head Start programs nationwide.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) today announces the launch of its Head Start Dental Home Initiative to benefit the one-in-three low-income children in the state of Illinois. The Initiative links children participating in Head Start programs to local dentists who will provide children with a "dental home" which will ensure that each child's oral health care is delivered in a comprehensive, ongoing, accessible, coordinated and family-centered way by a participating dentist.