Educational Tools

Tooth decay is the most common chronic illness among children in Ohio. It is five times more prevalent than asthma.

Learn more about what YOU can do with the following resources:

COHAT 101 Infosheet
The Children’s Oral Health Action Team (COHAT) infosheet provides basic information and statistics regarding the importance of children’s oral health as well as some background about who COHAT is and what COHAT does.

COHAT's Pregnancy Trifold Brochure
Oral health care during pregnancy is an important, and often overlooked healthcare need.  This tool provides important information about this issue.

COHAT's Ohio School Nurse Toolkit In order to help address the unmet oral health needs of Ohio’s Children, COHAT assembled a toolkit to help school nurses plan and implement an oral health program at their school or in their district.

COHAT Interest Form The Children’s Oral Health Action Team was created to help make high-quality, comprehensive oral health care available to all children in Ohio regardless of family income. This form allows interested parties to join COHAT to help achieve this goal.

Training Programs & Curricula Encouraged by COHAT

The Children’s Oral Health Action Team (COHAT) strives to improve children’s oral health through advocacy, education and increased awareness, and changing health care practices.  COHAT encourages the use of the following training programs for medical and dental providers to achieve a comprehensive, integrated care model.

Smiles for Life

Smiles for life is an online, self-directed national oral health curriculum for a wide variety of professionals including dentals, dental hygienists, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, students.  This curriculum comprises seven modules covering core areas of oral health. Topics include oral and systemic health, child oral health, adult oral health, acute oral health problems, oral health and pregnant women, fluoride varnish, and the oral examination. The modules may be completed online or downloaded and are suitable for individual or small-group education.

Smiles for Ohio - Fluoride Varnish: Training for Primary Medical Care Providers Serving Children Enrolled in Medicaid

This, free, four module series of courses provides Medicaid/Healthchek primary medical care providers and other health care providers with knowledge needed to reduce the incidence of dental caries among children under age 3 and to contribute to the establishment of a dental home.  The curriculum was adapted from Maryland’s Mouths Matter: Fluoride Varnish and Oral Health Screening Program for Kids—Training for EPSDT Medical Providers in Maryland and was reviewed by a team of experts.   Support for the development of the curriculum was provided by the HealthPath Foundation of Ohio.

Bright Futures Toolbox: Health Professionals and Human Services Providers

This online toolbox is a compilation of multiple resources for health and human services professionals about children’s oral health management, children’s oral health screening, and fluoride varnish application;  an oral health and safety curriculum for child care providers and health professionals; curricula for treating children with developmental disabilities and special healthcare needs; and many other programs.

Watch Your Mouth:  A Children’s Oral Health interactive, self-guided, eWorkshop

In this self-guided eWorkshop, participants can explore how Americans think about children’s oral health, and how communications strategies can build support for the reforms that advocates put forward to improve the oral health system.  This workshop is intended to provide advocates with a clear understanding of the children’s oral health, and the tools need to lead the public to a more informed understanding of systems change.

COHAT Oral Health Workshop Materials

Prenatal Oral Health and Treating Children under Age Three

 
PowerPoint Slides:  Prenatal Oral Health & Treating Children Under Age Three presentation
This document contains the slides from the first of five free oral health workshops funded by the American Dental Association’s Sam Harris Grant Fund, and organized by Ohio’s Children’s Oral Health Action Team (COHAT).  The presentation was conducted by Dr Paul Casamassimo, Dr Homa Amini, & Beth Noel on February 20th in Grove City, Ohio.

Motivational Interviewing Videos

Video: Motivational Interviewing Demo #1 - The Ineffective Physician: Non-Motivational Approach

This video contains a demonstration of confrontational patient counseling (to contrast with motivational interviewing approach in Demo #2). It was produced by University of Florida Department of Psychiatry and funded by the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute Grant #63504

Video: Motivational Interviewing Demo #2 - The Effective Physician: Motivational Approach  

This video contains a demonstration of the motivational interviewing approach in a brief medical encounter (to contrast with the confrontational patient counseling approach in Demo # 1 above). It was produced by University of Florida Department of Psychiatry and funded by Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute Grant #63504 (Co-Pls: Gold & Merlo).

Video:  Motivational Interviewing Lecture

This presentation provides and overview of the key components and processes related to Motivational Interviewing (MI), and explains how MI principles can be applied in dental practices to improve communication and patient outcomes. Presented by Dr. Reims at the ECC Conference in Chicago, IL, October 2013

Selected Materials from the National Maternal & Child Oral Health Resource Center Library

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. 2014. The State of Little Teeth. Chicago, IL: American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. 23 pp.

This report examines tooth decay among young children. Topics include who is most likely to have tooth decay and the immediate and long-term health, social, and economic effects of tooth decay. Additional topics include why tooth decay occurs and strategies to prevent tooth decay in young children. The report also looks at implications of the Affordable Care Act for children’s oral health.

Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Dental Prevention and Clinical Support Center. 2013. Early Childhood Caries (ECC) Educational Materials. Phoenix, AZ: Inter Tribal Council of Arizona. 4 items.

These resources are designed to help health professionals raise awareness among American Indian parents about ways they can prevent oral disease and promote oral health in infants and children from birth to age 16 months. Topics include tooth decay, oral hygiene, nutrition, and the first dental visit. Contents include a flyer, a brochure, and two posters.

Ng MW. 2013. Risk-Based Disease Prevention and Management of Early Childhood Caries (ECC). Boston, MA: Boston Children's Hospital. 22 pp.

This flip chart is designed to help educators communicate with parents about the importance of initiating good oral health habits early in life to prevent tooth decay. Topics include tooth brushing, fluoride toothpaste, flossing, fluoride varnish, sugar in foods and beverages, bottles and sippy cups, medications, and knee-to-knee oral health screenings.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. 2014. Prevention of Dental Caries in Children from Birth Through Age 5 Years. Rockville, MD: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Multiple items

This resource provides the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations for preventing dental caries in infants and children from birth through age 5. It include recommendations for prescribing fluoride supplements for infants and children starting at age 6 months whose water supply is deficient in fluoride. It also includes recommendations for applying fluoride varnish to infants’ and children’s teeth starting upon eruption of primary teeth. Supporting resources include a recommendation statement, an evidence report, a research plan, a clinical summary, a consumer fact sheet, and an evidence synthesis.

Selected Websites

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry: Caries-Risk Assessment Form for 0–3 Year Olds: For Physicians and Other Non-Dental Health Care Providers
 
American Academy of Pediatrics:  Oral Health Risk Assessment Tool and Guidance
 
American Dental Association: Caries Risk Assessment Form (Age 0–6)