St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children: Bringing Preventive Pediatric Dental Care to Children in North Philadelphia

Abstract

Summary

Tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease. Pediatric dental decay can result in an underweight child whose early growth and development are delayed. Pain from dental disease often causes reduced food intake because eating is painful. Remedial dental treatment in children has been proven to promote healthy weight gain, less pain and improved abilities to eat and sleep. Good pediatric dental hygiene is the start of a lifetime of good dental health and can make an indelible impact on the social and physical development of a young child.

Philadelphia’s children suffer from a lack of adequate pediatric dental care. This lack is compounded by the impact of the 35 percent of Philadelphia children who live below the poverty line. The problem is concentrated in North Philadelphia, where two of the city’s four Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas are located.

St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children is a public, grant-making charity that supports the health and well-being of children in the community served by St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children through programs in the areas of care, outreach, research and education. The Foundation has become a part of the pediatric dentistry solution in North Philadelphia. The Foundation’s leaders, recognizing the value of serving children in their own communities, introduced the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile in 2005. The Care Mobile offers comprehensive and continuous dental treatment at no cost to unserved and underserved young children. It has served over 5,000 new patients between 2005 and 2009, with services valued at over $1.25 million.