Tulare County

Overview of Findings

Access to affordable dental care for children is a main challenge for low-income families of Tulare County. Another barrier to obtaining dental care for low-income residents is transportation issues due to the rural nature of the county. Language barriers are also present when it comes to obtaining dental care for Spanish-speaking families.

There are two programs in Tulare County that address the unmet oral health needs of children from low-income families. The Tulare County Children’s Dental Disease Prevention program provides oral health education and screenings for 7600 students in 42 schools throughout the county. First 5 of Tulare County also seeks to improve oral health among children. First 5 has funded programs such as mobile clinics, pediatric dental training and equipment at Federally Qualified Health Centers, and school readiness programs for children entering Kindergarten. In addition, all First 5 programs have a school nurse who provides screenings and oral health education.

Funding has been the main challenge for the Children’s Dental Disease Prevention program in Tulare County. According to a key informant, state funding for the program has decreased by 10% annually which results in a fewer number of children that can be served. Although the program relies on state funding, other local organizations such as First 5 Tulare County provide some financial support.

Fresno County

Data

The following links lead to visual representations of the data collected in the surveys for this county. Maps in the 'slideshow' have accompanying text that helps explain what is visually taking place as well as comparing the results of this county's maps to the results for the rest of the region. The PDF maps have no explanation text and are only the visual image.

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