2010 Oral Health Summit
On February 5, 2010, over 125 medical and dental providers, elected officials, educators and community members attended the second Children’s Oral Health Summit co-sponsored by First 5 San Luis Obispo County and The California Endowment. The goal of the Summit was to address the challenges of children’s oral health in San Luis Obispo County.
The 2010 Summit informed our community of the many accomplishments made since the first Children’s Oral Health Summit in 2008, including fluoride varnish programs, increased oral health screenings in pre-schools, and increased parent education efforts. The first Summit provided a foundation for future work to address this critical health issue in our county.
Fourth District Supervisor and First 5 San Luis Obispo County Chairperson, Katcho Achadjian, opened the 2010 summit by sharing statistics and data of the status of children’s oral health. In San Luis Obispo County a recent survey found that 57% of the children screened had decay experience, meaning that one or more teeth with treated and/or untreated decay.
Supervisor Achadjian also welcomed the panel of experts who came from as far away as Florida to share their experiences in how to increase the quality of children’s oral health. Nationally recognized speakers included Susan Fisher-Owens, MD, MPH, who spoke about the critical role of oral health in optimal child health; Don Marianos, DDS, MPH, who emphasized the importance of community based prevention; Frank Catalanotto, DMD, who detailed options in providing dental care for the very young; and Jared Fine, DDS, MPH, who described local government's role in building a sustainable oral health program.
As a follow-up to the 2008 Summit, a Children’s Oral Health Coordination Team, a Children’s Oral Health Coalition and three Dental Access Resource Teams (DARTs) were created to provide input to First 5 San Luis Obispo County regarding the best strategies to improve children’s oral health in San Luis Obispo County. These groups worked to develop a strategic plan which was unveiled at the 2010 Summit.
First 5 Hero Awards were presented to local dentists Perry Patel, DDS and Don Tran, DMD, for providing a dental home to low income children in San Luis Obispo County and Greg Hauser, DDS, to acknowledge his work with Head Start children. Community Health Centers of the Central Coast and the Central Coast Dental Society were recognized for their collaboration on “Give Kids a Smile Day.” La Clinica de Tolosa was acknowledged for the significant impact the clinic has had with respect to low-income children receiving dental care, especially in North County. The San Luis Obispo County Health Agency, Women, Infants and Children Program, and Head Start/Early Head Start were recognized for their efforts in the prevention of dental disease in young children.
Last but not least, Linda Hogoboom, Lucia Mar District Nurse, was recognized for her 33 years of service to improving the health of children in San Luis Obispo County.
2010 Summit videos will be added soon. Please keep watching this page.
Strategic Plan
Oral Health Brochures
- Pregnancy (English)
- Pregnancy (Spanish)
- Baby (English)
- Baby (Spanish)
- Child (English)
- Child (Spanish)
Powerpoint Presentations
- Summit Opening Slides
- Frank Catalanotto - Improving Access
- Joel Diringer - The Road Thus Far Traveled
- Jared Fine - Smiles Within Reach
- Susan Fisher Owens Oral Health in Optimal Child Health
- Don Marianos - The Good, the Bad, the Future
Meeting Minutes
2008 Oral Summit Archives