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CIL2: Program provides families a description about oral care routines for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and schoolagers.
Tooth decay is the most common childhood disease, but it is also entirely preventable. Not all children have access to and opportunities to participate in a daily oral care routine. Having a daily oral care routine supports the health of the child (by providing preventative care) and reinforces the importance of an oral care routine. Including oral care practices in programs and sharing oral care information with families may help improve oral health and reduce disparities at a young age.
To meet the indicator, programs could:
- Provide information to families about oral care – this could be resources and information about local dentists and dental clinics, articles, or even toothbrushes and toothpaste
- Include oral care into the daily schedule – update your schedule so families, children, and schoolagers know this is a part of the routine
- Implement an oral care routine – make sure the routine supports toothbrushing and gum wiping for infants
- Learn more about oral care through training – knowledge is power! Helping staff understand the importance of oral care can help them implement routines and encourage oral care with children, schoolagers, and families
- Implement an oral care curriculum - Do you know about Brush Resources and Training? They even have funding support!
This indicator requires that the program has a written description in place about oral care routines for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and schoolagers. This could be a policy, statement, plan, or something else.
For example, the description may include things the program is using or doing to support understanding like:
- Communication to families about the importance of oral care
- Daily schedules showing oral care and a statement of the oral care routine
- Photos of children engaging in oral care and a statement of the oral care routine
- Policy/procedure on oral care routines
The sky is the limit when it comes to the description, so tailor it to best meet your program and the families you serve.
For more information about this indicator, review the Quality Indicators Guidance Document and Quality Indicators FAQ.
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