In response to the clear need to improve dental care for young children in poverty, we brought together a group of community leaders interested in and involved with providing oral health care services to children in the Syracuse community in 2008.
The group’s initial goal was to identify issues that impact access to dental care. These issues would serve as a starting point for additional research to help identify potential strategies to improve access.
This report offers background information to support the group’s discussions. The report begins with recommendations for optimal oral health care in children, reviews barriers to access and outlines the way dental health care is financed. That is followed by a discussion of issues relevant to the Syracuse community, as well as questions about how to improve access to oral health care for children in poverty.
Using information gathered in this report, along with a more comprehensive report for Buffalo, NY in 2010, we designed our CHOMPERS! Bringing Dental Care to Kids initiative.
Focus Area: Young Children Impacted by Poverty
Category: Evaluation, Infographic, Report, Toolkit
Date Published: October 1, 2008