Memorial Hermann Health System – Memorial Hermann Mobile Dental Program

What is it?

The Memorial Hermann Mobile Dental Program consists of three 40-foot vans on rotation schedules at nine Memorial Hermann school-based health center sites. The goal of the program is to provide continuity dental care to uninsured children, serving as their dental home. This is accomplished through the provision of cleanings, sealants, fluoride, restorative dental care (fillings and extractions) and, most importantly, education and six-month follow-ups. The program is measured against the Healthy People 2020 Objectives for Oral Health, specifically, incidence of cavities and placement of sealants. Barriers to care are broken down: services are provided where children are located – at school; the provision of services is a full complement of preventive and restorative dental care; the mobile dental vans’ locations are accessible even when school is not in session; and there is no charge to families.

Who is it for?

Students of 10 Memorial Hermann Health Centers for Schools primary care clinics, which are home to some of Houston’s most disadvantaged students. Overall, 89 percent of the students are on the free/reduced lunch program, a nationally accepted indicator for poverty. The mobile dental program provides more than 20,000 procedures a year.

Why do they do it?

One-fourth of the nation’s children have 80 percent of the nation’s tooth decay, and most of them are underprivileged. Diet, nutrition, sleep, psychological status, social interaction, school and work are affected by impaired oral health. Kids cannot concentrate and learn in school when in dental pain. More than 51 million school hours are lost each year due to dental disease, leading to increased educational disparities. The program’s community indicator goal is to improve educational achievement of students, improve their dental and overall health, and decrease long-term dental costs.

Impact

The Healthy People 2020 Objectives for Oral Health’s target for the proportion of children ages 6 to 9 with cavities is 49 percent; Memorial Hermann Mobile Dental Program brought the percentage down to 6.3 percent. Healthy People 2020’s target for adolescents ages 13 to 15 is 48.3 percent; Memorial Hermann achieved a percentage of 7.6 percent. The HP 2020 target for the proportion of children ages 6 to 9 years who have received dental sealants is 28.1 percent; Memorial Hermann’s percentage is up to 70 percent. The HP 2020 target for adolescents is 21.9 percent; Memorial Hermann’s is, again, 70 percent.

Contact: Deborah Ganelin
Director, Community Benefit Corporation
Telephone: 713-338-5982
Email: deborah.ganelin@memorialhermann.org