The document defines a dental home as an ongoing relationship between a dentist and patient that provides comprehensive, accessible, and family-centered oral healthcare from infancy through adolescence. A dental home has characteristics like being accessible in the community, family-centered, providing unbiased information continuously, and being comprehensive, coordinated, and compassionate. When a parent or caregiver approaches a dental home, the dentist will take a history, do an examination, and do a risk assessment to enhance the dentist's ability to assist the child and family with optimal oral healthcare.

2. DEFINITION
Dental home is an ongoing relationship between
the dentist and patient ,inclusive of all aspects of oral
health care delivered in a comprehensive ,continuously
accessible , coordinated , and family centered way.
Establishment of a dental home begins no later than 12
months of age and includes referral to dental
specialists when appropriate. (AAPD)

3. OBJECTIVES
 To enhance the dentists ability to assist children and
their parents or caregivers for optimum oral health
care.
 To schedule early oral health examinations and
preventive services for cost effectiveness.
 Individual child risk assessment for dental diseases.
 Monitoring the growth and development.
 To make the parents aware of when and how
frequently should they visit a dental home for their
child.

4. CHARACTERISTICS OF DENTAL HOME
Characteristics Description
Accessible Care provided in the child's community
Family
centered
Recognition of the centeredness of the family
Unbiased complete information is shared on an ongoing
basis
Continuous Same primary care providers from infancy through
adolescence
Comprehensiv
e
Healthcare available 24 hrs per day ,seven days per week
Preventive ,primary, tertiary care provided
Coordinated Families linked to support education and community
services
Compassionate Expressed and demonstrated concern for child and family
Culturally
competent
Cultural background recognized , valued , respected

5. STEPS TO BE TAKEN WHEN PARENT /
CAREGIVER APPROACH DENTAL HOME
 History
 Examination
 Risk assessment

6. ADVANTAGES
 Embraces the importance of early intervention with
optimal preventive strategies chosen based on risk of
patient
 Encourage the first dental visit by approximately 1 year age
 Practitioners can provide personalized preventive
approaches for children based on their family histories ,
the oral examination and risk factors identify

7.  An important feature of dental home is to provide
anticipatory guidance to parents so that they are aware
of their children's growth and development
 Preventive intervention can be personalized to the
needs of child

8. SPECIALIZED CARE REFERRAL
 Another feature of dental home would be coordination
of specialized care for child.
 When a child has been observed over a period ,
appropriate recommendations can be made for other
treatments such as orthodontic referral and
observations
 Dental home provides a wonderful opportunity for
primary dental provider to recognize changes in
growth and development that can be discussed with
parent and appropriate recommendations to seek
further consultation from the child’s physician

9.  Dental home provides a wonderful opportunity for
primary dental provider to recognize changes in
growth and development that can be discussed with
parent and appropriate recommendations to seek
further consultation from the child’s physician
 The continuous care provided by a dental team also
would recognize other developmental milestones that
may suggest needed attention
 The office can track the sequencing of preventive
interventions

10. CONCLUSION
 Dental home is a concept that deserves support,
further investigation and in conjunction with medical
home , would provide comprehensive health care to
which all children are entitled.