299 - Barriers to Dental Usage for WIC Program Participants

Barriers to Dental Care for Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Participants at Family Health Centers at NYU Langone (FHC), Brooklyn, NY, Shea A, Chopra J, Kaur R, Kane D (NYU Langone Hospital--Brooklyn)

Purpose: To identify factors that contribute to or limit oral healthcare access for WIC program participants at FHC.WIC is a federal program that supports the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to 5 years of age by providing participants with access to food, nutrition counseling, and referrals to social and health services, including dental care. Program participants may be at higher caries risk than the general population due to their poverty status (two-thirds have family incomes below the poverty level), a known risk factor for caries.

Methods: A questionnaire is being administered to consenting WIC enrollees who present for regularly scheduled appointments at the WIC Center, Brooklyn, NY. The questionnaire consists of 34 questions regarding demographic characteristics, current oral and oral healthcare seeking behaviors, and barriers and facilitators to oral healthcare access for both the caregivers and children enrolled in the WIC program. The sample size for the study is 103 caregivers of WIC enrolled children aged 1-5 years. Logistic regression will be used to identify the best model for predicting failure to receive access to oral health care. Thematic analysis will be conducted for the qualitative data.

 
Results and Conclusions are forthcoming pending data collection, analysis, and interpretation. The findings of the study will inform interventions and clinical workflows to improve access to oral health care services for WIC participants.