NADP Project Summary 2025 - Anderson Center for Oral Health
The Anderson Center for Oral Health is a program within Rady Children’s Health (formerly known as Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego). We undertake projects to improve the oral health and well-being of all children, through early intervention and prevention, with emphasis on young children and those with disabilities or complex medical conditions, through education, advocacy, and improved access to care.
Our 2025 National Association of Dental Plans (NADP) goals include: 1) improving access to care to the general public by attending targeted community events to share information on dental services and insurance programs, 2) improving access to care through direct referral, and; 3) improving access to care by educating physicians to refer children to dentists and support oral health through application of fluoride varnish, health literacy, and reduction of sugar sweetened beverages.
To date, we’ve met our goal of training over 20 Children’s Primary Care Offices in fluoride varnish application. To meet our remaining goals by year-end, we will present to the San Diego Oral Health Coalition on the Anderson Center program in September 2025. We will invite three (3) additional dental residents to community events to promote good oral hygiene. Connecting patients to a dental home consists of a patient attending their initial and routine three to six-month follow-up appointments. We’ve received 59 dental referrals as of July 2025. There are 20 new dental referrals that are receiving their initial outreaches, 20 referrals that are being followed up on, to confirm if the patient attended their appointment, and if not, what prevented them from attending and how can we help them attend, there are eight referrals who completed their initial appointment and are waiting on a 3-6 month follow up appointment, and the remaining dental referrals are waiting to be scheduled for a routine follow-up appointment, were unable to contact, or unable to attend their appointments due to sickness, insurance issues or transportation and are being rescheduled.
Our goal in partnership with the NADP Foundation is to showcase the importance of oral health hygiene for everyone in our communities. According to the Journal of Public Health Dentistry, studies have shown that children who receive fluoride varnish treatments by their medical provider are more likely to be seen by a dentist by their first birthday or at an earlier age than patients who don’t receive fluoride varnish from their medical provider. Maintaining optimal oral health is essential to preserving overall physical well-being. The mouth serves as a vital gateway to the body, and its care should be regarded with the same diligence as general health.
The NADP has helped the Anderson Center for Oral Health educate and promote good oral hygiene to our communities and pediatric medical providers. Rady Children’s Health is a nationally recognized leader in pediatric care, known for its excellence in clinical services, research, and education. Our presence at community events consistently draws strong engagement, helping us amplify the message of the importance of oral hygiene. We are proud to champion oral health as a vital part of childhood well-being.