CDC COMMUNITY GUIDE: Preventing Dental Caries: School-Based or -Linked Sealant Delivery Programs

CDC

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

These programs provide direct delivery of dental sealants to children in school-based or school-linked (clinic or private practice) settings.

The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends school-based and school-linked dental sealant delivery programs based on strong evidence of effectiveness in preventing or reducing tooth decay among children.

Results / Accomplishments

Results from the Systematic Reviews:
Ten studies qualified for the review.

• Dental caries outcomes: median 60% decrease in cavities on the top and bottom surfaces of molars and pre-molars among children 6 to 17 years old (interquartile interval: 5% to 93%; 10 studies)
• Studies compared results from programs where sealants were applied to programs in which no sealants were applied.
• Children were examined for tooth decay from 2 to 5 years after the program.
• Applying sealants in school-based or -linked programs was found to be effective among children at different risk of tooth decay and in families of varying economic means.
• Six studies provided information on the economic efficiency of school-based or school-linked programs.

About this Promising Practice

Primary Contact
communityguide@cdc.gov
Topics
Health / Oral Health
Source
Community Guide Branch Epidemiology and Analysis Program Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Location
USA
For more details
http://www.thecommunityguide.org/index.html
http://www.thecommunityguide.org/oral/schoolsealan...
Target Audience
Children

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An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.