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News : February 2009

The PRASAD Children's Dental Health Program continues to partner with Sullivan County Public Health Services to deliver preventive dental care to expectant women, and infants, who have no other access to that care. The program is supported in part by a grant from the New York State Department of Health.

Sullivan County's Public Health Director, Carol Ryan, explains the urgency behind the program. "Pregnant women are more prone to gingivitis and other gum diseases, which may lead to infections that can affect the mother's, and the baby's, immune systems. And low-income pregnant women are at even greater risk. Some of the dangers include pre-term delivery, low birth-weight and even a pre-disposition toward dental health problems for the child.

Carol reviews County Health Indicator Profiles, which state that 969 women gave birth in the county in 2006. Of them, more than 40 percent had Medicaid or no insurance, and 46 percent had no prenatal care in their first trimester - so it's unlikely they had dental care either. Many of these women lack the transportation to get to a dentist, and there are few providers in the area who will accept Medicaid.

The Pregnant Mothers and Infants program is intended to fill that gap. The county's Community Health workers bring patients to the Public Health Services building in Liberty, NY, where the PRASAD CDHP mobile dental clinic is waiting for them. Each woman's visit includes an exam and personalized explanations and instructions on oral care and diet. "It's important for you to take calcium supplements, now," one mother is told. "If you don't, the baby will say, 'Sorry, I come first,' and take it from your teeth and bones." Community Health worker Jeanette Vargas said, "I tell moms, 'What happens to your teeth, affects your baby.'"

That family education component of the program is vital. Aboard the mobile clinic, patient Maria Cerillo looks at a poster that shows the symptoms of tooth decay caused by baby bottles. "It's an educational environment. They don't just tell you why you should take care of your teeth, they show you, and it helps my kids. I brush my teeth with my kids, now. It's a family activity."

 

Other organizations in Sullivan County that serve infants and pregnant women:

• Maternal Infants Service Network
• Women, Infants and Children
• Head Start
• Healthy Families of Sullivan