BACKGROUND: Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease. Nationally, it affects 1 in 5 children and 1 in 7 adolescents. If dental caries remain untreated, they can result in inadequate tooth function, unsightly appearance, pain, infection, and tooth loss. Research shows that children with poor oral health are nearly three times more likely than their healthy counterparts to miss school as a result of dental pain and that an absence due to oral pain is associated with poorer school performance The prevalence of untreated decay in children is higher among racial/ethnic minorities and among children from low-income families, as these children are less likely to receive dental care. School based sealant programs are a cost effective, evidence-based intervention to reduce barriers in access to care and provide services to low-income school aged children.
METHODS: The purpose of this project is to visually represent the locations of existing School-Based Sealant Programs and to identify areas of high need for program expansion in Florida. Indicators included for geographic analysis at the school-level are public school student enrollment, school location, Title I designation, and percent of students on free and reduced lunch. Indicators at the county-level include Florida Medicaid child enrollment, rate of dentists and dental hygienists, community water fluoridation status, and untreated decay rates of school-aged children. Z-scores are calculated at the county-level for each previously mentioned indicator and then averaged for a final Z-score per county. ESRI ArcMap 10.3.1 software is used to construct a map package which includes geocoded school locations, associated school-level information, and county-level data including Z-scores. ESRI ArcGIS online software is then used to construct an interactive mapping application (website) with various data layers which identify schools located in those counties of high-need for School-Based Sealant Programs (based on Z-score results).
RESULTS: This presentation will describe the process of defining high need for School-Based Sealant Programs including the calculation of Z-scores, indicator selection and availability, and best practices for designing a web-based mapping tool.
CONCLUSIONS: The number of School-Based Sealant Programs have expanded over the past three years in Florida. However Florida is a vast state with a fast growing child population, thus there will always be the need to expand School-Based Sealant Programs until all children have access to dental care. The use of ESRI ArcGIS online software allows for the creation of a data visualization tool that could be publicly shared with partners statewide.