EQIPP Course Arms Health Care Professionals with Knowledge Needed to Fight Early Childhood Caries

Elk Grove Village, IL (February 11, 2013)— The best resource that prevents early childhood caries (ECC)—the most common chronic disease children in the United States encounter—isn’t new or available in any store. It’s you and your staff.

From physicians to nurses to physician assistants, every professional who sees a patient has a key opportunity to help prevent ECC. But without the correct information or effective office policies that ensure consistent, quality care, the opportunity to help prevent ECC may be missed.

To help providers increase their knowledge and improve their oral health practices, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has released a new course, EQIPP: Oral Health in Primary Care. The course provides tools, information and resources providers need to delivering the best possible oral health care.

EQIPP: Oral Health can be taken by pediatricians and other physicians, nurse practitioners, and allied health care professionals. Participants will expand their knowledge on key areas including:

  • The concept and importance of a dental home
  • The roles of PPHP in facilitating the establishment of a dental home
  • The various facets involved and barriers in setting up a dental home
  • The dental caries process and impact of Early Childhood Caries (ECC)
  • The process of performing a caries risk assessment
  • Groups that are at high risk for dental caries
  • The importance of maternal oral health
  • Age-specific oral health anticipatory guidance
  • Oral health and injury prevention patient education
  • Fluoride varnish—who should apply it and how it is applied
  • Families’ concerns about fluoride varnish and how to address them
  • The process for procuring, storing, and billing for fluoride varnish


EQIPP: Oral Health enrollment fees are subsidized by the AAP. The cost for AAP members is $99 for individual enrollment and $79 for groups of 2 or more; individual non-members may enroll for $129.  Allied health professionals may participate if added to a physician's group for just $59/individual. Physicians who participate in EQIPP: Oral Health will also help satisfy Maintenance of Certification Part 4 requirements. 

EQIPP: Oral Health is on the newly improved EQIPP web site—featuring easier navigation, greater administrator control, new aggregate data entry, and an enhanced experience for sample data users that creates a virtual improvement plan.

More information about the course and pricing information are available online at http://bit.ly/eqipp-oral-health