Rural Project Examples: Delta Region

School-Based Health Center Dental Outreach

Updated/reviewed July 2020

• Need: To improve the oral health status of children ages 3 to 17 living in underserved rural areas of Louisiana.
• Intervention: School-based nurse practitioners perform oral health assessments, apply fluoride varnishes when indicated, and make dental referrals, with completion rates of the latter tracked by dental case managers.
• Results: Significant numbers of school children are receiving oral health examinations, fluoride varnish applications, and receiving care coordination to improve numbers of completed dental appointments.