Corrections_Today_July_August_2019_Vol.84_No.4

nEWS & vIEWS

Juvenile Justice News

Out of the mouths of babes How the implementation of an oral hygiene program led to the decrease of dental disease at a juvenile justice correctional center By Lori S. Wilson, DDS and Mark H. Murphy, MS

T ooth decay is the most com- mon chronic disease among children in the United States. Countless hours are missed from school because a child may be hurt- ing from a toothache. Most children suffer in silence, and behavioral problems are often linked to oral health disease. These children, who often come from families that earn less than 200% of the federal poverty level and are overly represented in the juvenile justice system, are three times more likely to have untreated tooth decay than their counterparts from higher income families. One- third of poor children are able to access dental care with a dentist compared to 71% of higher-income children. 1 According to a recent study conducted in Washington state, more than 65.9% of youth involved in the juvenile justice system were found to have major dental issues. 2 Faced with these significant statistics and the actual manifesta- tion of this data into real life clinical situations, preventative care became a paramount issue within the dental

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The need for change

clinic located at Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center in Bon Air, Virginia. True to form, most of the residents presented for oral health evaluations during the intake exam were found to have some type of dental care needs, whether it per- tained to simple cleanings to more complex oral surgery needs. More important than those needs were the manifestations of oral health issues that could lead to major medical problems if left untreated.

Much has been said in recent years about treating the whole patient. This has been an important focus in a health care system that is becoming increasingly reactive and specialist-driven over the years. The Virginia Department of Juvenile Jus- tice Health Services has extended this vision from treating the whole patient to include treating them throughout their whole life. With dental services’ preventative care, this took the form

12 — July/August 2019 Corrections Today