1.How Do We Get Our State to Allow RDH to Do the Oral Assessments?
Questions and Answersregarding the Head Start dental hygienist liaison role in the National Center on Health Oral Health Project.
1.How do we get our state to allow RDH to do the oral assessments?
Head Start follows Start follows the State EPSDT (aka Medicaid) standards. Policy changes regarding who can perform the exams have to happen at the state-level. There are a few states that allow hygienists to perform the Head Start exam, for example Minnesota and South Carolina.
2.How do you access PIR data by state?
The ASTDD DH liaison webpage contains a link to request access to PIR information:
3. I have a lot of interaction with our local head starts, but am not sure where to begin on a state level besides contacting the state H.S. director.
The best places to start are your State Oral Health Program and the Head Start State Collaboration Office. Links to their contact information for your state can be found on the ASTDD DH liaison webpage:
4. I am currently working with a local dental hygiene school to perform oral health exams, prophylaxis, and fluoride treatment on children as well as oral exams for parents. This is something I would like to begin state wide. How can I access a list of head start area coordinators across the state to inform them of what we are currently working on?
The Head Start State Collaboration Office has that information. A link to contact the HSSCO in your state is provided on the ASTDD DH liaison webpage: Also, you find contact information for all the EHS / HS grantees in your state on the ECKLC Head Start locator page at:
5.What qualifies as a dental home? Do school-based public health dental hygienists and mobile dentalprograms qualify?
They can qualify depending on their level of services. Head Start defines a dental home as place where they receive “continuous, accessible dental care.”
6.Has ADHA or MCH or NCH-OHP developed any educational presentations that we can use to "Train the Trainer" for HS/EHS teachers/staff, parents, other oral health professionals to promote oral health information and messages?
Yes, and they are available upon request. They presentations are tailored towards a specific audience (i.e. staff, parents, etc.).
7.My understanding was that the children had to be examined by a "dentist". Has that changed?
Head Start follows the State EPSDT (aka Medicaid) standards. Policy changes regarding who can perform the exams have to happen at the state-level. There are a few states that allow hygienists to perform the Head Start exam, for example Minnesota and South Carolina. You can find your EPSDT requirements by following the link on the ASTDD Head Start DH Liaisons webpage: