Outcomes of a Quality Improvement Project Examining Early Childhood Caries and Improving Identification of At Risk Patients in a Pediatric Medical Home Setting

Abstract

Early childhood caries (ECC) is a widespread childhood disease that disproportionately affects children with disabilities, those in lower-income households and minority children. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that all children be screened for ECC and referred to a dentist by the age of one. This quality improvement project took place at a hospital-affiliated pediatric clinic. A caries risk screening tool was implemented at 9-, 12-, and 18-month well child check-ups for 3 months. A retrospective chart review was performed for comparison purposes. The quality improvement project indicated improvement in identification of children at high-risk for ECC.

Keywords: Early Childhood Caries; Pediatrics; Primary care; Quality improvement; Screening.