The purpose of this research project was to assess pediatric oral health status on the island of Roatán, Honduras. Currently, there is a major lack of access to primary and preventive oral healthcare services, which contributes to poor oral health outcomes such as high rates of caries and oral diseases. Clínica Esperanza is a local, non-profit medical clinic that provides low to no-cost healthcare to thousands on the island. To tackle the issue of oral health, the clinic recently initiated a mobile dental bus program called Sonrisas Móviles that allows the clinic’s dental team to enter different communities on the island and provide the children with free dental services.

However, there is also little to no prior research about oral health on the island of Roatán, and there are very few oral health studies available in the country of Honduras. This study was conducted at the request of Clínica Esperanza so that it could better understand the current state of oral health in its community and longitudinally assess the impact that the dental bus is making.

Over a period of 8 weeks, the SRT Honduras team accompanied the clinic’s dental team and surveyed 626 children that received free dental services on the bus. Additionally, dental records were collected for 328 of those children. Of the 626 subjects, 51.4% said they had never visited a dentist, and 75.4% had not visited one in the past year, indicating the lack of oral healthcare infrastructure. Additionally, a significant number of children reported negative impacts of oral health on various aspects of their life/wellbeing, and 59.1% of the subpopulation for which dental information was collected had at least 1 cavity present, showcasing the large burden of disease that poor oral health can place on a community. Finally, 70.9% of children said they received oral health education in school, yet only 38.9% could explain why caries formed, demonstrating the ineffectiveness of current oral health education.

This research highlights the need for preventive oral healthcare programs such as Sonrisas Móviles and improved oral health education efforts. It also establishes a baseline reference point for Clínica Esperanza to begin monitoring the impact of the dental bus program on pediatric oral health over time. As more studies are conducted and the program is expanded, Clínica Esperanza hopes to learn how it can best support pediatric oral health in its community and maximize the benefit of Sonrisas Móviles and other oral health interventions.