February is Children’s Dental Health month so it is fitting for me to tell you about our children’s oral health program. The First Teeth First Program is a community-based program providing services to children 0-5 years of age and expectant mothers at no charge. Services provided include an oral screening, anticipatory guidance, goal setting, and referral and care coordination, provided by a registered dental hygienist and promotor. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the program operated in person at WIC clinics (Women, Infant, and Children), pediatrician’s offices, OBGYN offices and childcare. In March 2020, when Arizona declared a public health emergency, the First Teeth First program was unable to provide oral health services in the community. However, it became clear there was still a need for oral health consultation and screenings when our partners at the WIC program called to ask for our assistance to guide families with dental health concerns and questions. Our WIC partners had received numerous requests from clients for oral health services during Zoom appointments with their clients. We discovered there was a need for the communication of oral health information through a new medium. Such was the inception of our teledentistry project!
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