Children's Oral Health Initiative (COHI)

The Children's Oral Health Initiative is a First Nations Health Authority initiative designed to prevent and control tooth decay and other oral diseases in young First Nations Children.

Target

• Children ages 0-7 living on-reserve 
• Pregnant women.

Service Delivery

Preventive dental services are provided in select First Nations on-reserve communities. Services include:

• Dental screenings
• Topical fluoride applications
• Placement of dental sealants
• Alternative restorative treatment
• Oral health information sessions and referrals to other dental care professionals for treatments beyond their scope of practice.
• Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Prevention and promotion activities at the community level include awareness campaigns and presentations to target sites and groups such as Aboriginal Head Start locations, day cares, preschools, nurseries, parent participants, immunization clinics and other community groups. Oral health promotion also includes promotion via different media, and promotion of professional oral health training, such as dental therapy. In addition, there are opportunities to inform and build capacity among parents, caregivers, and community members through clinical and educational activities.