What is Cavity Free at Three?

Mission

Cavity Free at Three trains medical and dental professionals to provide preventive, oral health services for young children and pregnant women to decrease dental disease and reduce oral health disparities among high risk populations.

 

Vision

Our Vision is to improve the oral health of all Colorado Children.

 

 

Why We Do It

Dental caries is the number one chronic childhood disease and yet, caries are preventable.

Untreated decay can negatively affect academic performance, nutrition, speech, self-esteem and sleep. It leads to higher emergency department admissions, missed days at school and work, hospitalizations, and even death.

As medical and dental professionals, we can include efficient, research-based services proven to decrease disease in the families we serve.

 

Goals

Expand delivery of and access to preventive oral health services for infants, toddlers  and pregnant women.

• Infants: By 2019 increase the percentage of Colorado infants who receive preventive oral health care (Data Source: National Survey of Children’s Health).

• Pregnant women: By 2019 increase the percentage of Colorado women who receive oral health care during pregnancy (Data Source: Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System).

 

Impact

• Seventy percent of the children I see in my practice have poor oral health. Half of them already have cavities by the time they are 3. These are the kids that are at risk of a lifetime of dental problems. As a pediatrician, I can’t ignore my patient’s oral health anymore - Patricia Braun, MD, MPH, Pediatrician, Eastside Family Health Center, Denver

• "We know treating pregnant women is safe and results in immediate health benefits to the mother and her baby. We also know by taking care of the mother we will greatly improve the oral health of the child. - Dennis Lewis, DDS, President and CEO, Dental Aid, Boulder

 

Results

• Evidence suggests that when children receive 4 or more fluoride varnish applications at a medical visit by age 3, there are significant reductions in early Childhood Caries. Learn More.

• After receiving a Cavity Free at Three training nearly 85% of trainees reported implementing the Cavity Free at Three model in their practice either completely or partially.

• Program Data can be found on the Cavity Free at Three Dashboard

 

Our Partners

• Join nearly 5,000 medical and dental providers, health professional students and children’s health advocates who have been trained since 2007.

• Cavity Free at Three is managed by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). CDPHE Oral Health Program (OHP) extends a sincere thanks to the foundations that support Cavity Free at Three: Caring for Colorado Foundation, The Colorado Health Foundation, The Colorado Trust, Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, Rose Community Foundation and the Health and Resources Services Administration (HRSA).