In 1994 a group of concerned dentists, dental educators, public health agencies, the state dental association, and State Medicaid representatives came together to address the problem of the severe lack of dental access by Washington State's high-risk preschool children. The proposed solution was the development of the Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (ABCD) Program.

ABCD focuses on preventive and restorative dental care for Medicaid-eligible children from birth to age six, with emphasis on enrollment by age one. It is based upon the premise that starting dental visits early will yield positive behaviors by both parents and children, thereby helping to control the caries process and reduce the need for costly future restorative work.

The first ABCD program opened for enrollment in Spokane, Washington in February 1995 as a collaborative effort between several partners in the public and private sectors. Its success has led other county dental societies and health districts in Washington to adopt the program, as well as prompted interest from other states.

The ABCD Program was named a "best practice" by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry in 2000. The Academy, under a 3-year HRSA grant, sought programs that use resources efficiently and are culturally competent, replicable, integrated and sustainable. More than 28 programs in 15 states submitted descriptions for review by an Academy task force. North Carolina and Washington were selected as two states with especially useful approaches.

In 2003, ABCD won the "Heroes of Health Care" award for collaboration from the Washington Health Foundation. Greg Vigdor, president and CEO of Washington Health Foundation, said, "The collaborative work of the ABCD programs across the public and private sectors is a heroic endeavor…The focus of these efforts for the benefit of our children is even more impressive."

In 2004, the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) selected ABCD as one of their "best state practices." According to ASTDD, "Best Practice is based on a simple maxim: don't reinvent the wheel, learn in order to improve it, and adapt it to your terrain to make it work better. If we can demonstrate success and share what we know, it can enable us to go forward in different ways that may lead to innovation and establish other best practices." Thirty-nine states submitted 116 descriptions of successful dental public health practices to the ASTDD Best Practices Project.

In 2005, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation named the ABCD program as one of three innovative oral health models nationally. [The study examined community-based activities across the country intended to improve the oral health of vulnerable populations.]

Oral Health America gave ABCD an "A" grade in its 2005 report titled "A for Effort". By receiving an "A" grade for ABCD, Washington is one of eight states earning top grades for improving oral health. Oral Health America is an independent non-profit public benefit corporation, based in Chicago, Illinois, that pursues broad-based public advocacy through targeted programs and communications efforts to improve oral health for all Americans. For a complete copy of the A for Effort report or more information on Oral Health America, visit: www.oralhealthamerica.org.

ABCD is also being recognized as an effective program to address children's health disparities in a report by the Children's Defense Fund.

This website was created to assist others in replicating the ABCD model or in using some of its components in existing dental practices or oral health programs. We encourage you to read through the material and links provided, and then contact any of the parties listed for further information.

Thank you for your interest in ABCD.

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