New pediatric dental center to open at Magnuson Park

Joel Berg, director of the new Center for Pediatric Dentistry in Magnuson Park, concedes that $21 million could buy a lot of drilling and filling — particularly for kids whose parents can't afford dental care.

But Berg's after something bigger and more permanent with the new 28,000-square-foot Center for Pediatric Dentistry opening Sept. 1 at Magnuson Park. He wants to keep kids out of the dental chair — forever. And he's got a plan.

Inside the facility, Berg intends to create a whole new model for the way dental care is now delivered to kids.

"Our goal is to change the way we do it now, because it's not working," Berg said.

It does look that way. Many kids here still aren't getting the dental care they need, despite state Medicaid spending of $121 million a year on dental care for poor kids, a network of "safety net" dental services, increased use of dental sealants and fluoride, and a 15-year education effort.

There are clues in statistics gleaned from the state's 2005 "smile survey:"

• Nearly half of Washington children under 5 never visited a dentist in 2003.

• The majority of kids under age 6 with Medicaid or other state-funded dental insurance weren't getting dental care — more than 38,000 in King County alone.

• About 20 percent of the state's second- and third-graders had untreated decay.

• Overall, 60 percent of elementary schoolers had tooth decay — 20 percent in seven or more teeth.

Public-health experts say dental care is the greatest unmet health need of children. Tooth decay, called the "silent epidemic" by the Centers for Disease Control, is five times more common than asthma.

The new center is a partnership of the University of Washington School of Dentistry, Seattle Children's hospital, Washington Dental Service and Washington Dental Service Foundation.

The center expects 30,000 visits the first year. For now, it will be open weekday daytime hours, seeing primarily kids with private or public insurance like Medicaid.

Currently, many parents, especially low-income parents, have trouble finding dental care for their children.

Medicaid doesn't pay as much as private dental insurance (although it's added a bit for dentists who treat young children under a special program), crying toddlers aren't every dentist's preferred patients, and some don't know how to treat them, particularly those with special needs.

"We get a lot of calls from families requesting 'Help me find a dentist who will take my child,' " says MaryAnne Lindeblad, director of health-care services for the state Medicaid program.

The center will provide access to dentists who know how to care for a toddler or a child with mental or physical problems, or who will take Medicaid.

The center will also stress education. Despite an ongoing, 15-year-old statewide campaign called ABCD (Access to Baby and Child Dentistry), some parents still believe, wrongly, that kids' "baby teeth" don't need care. Add constant sugary snacks and drinks and the result is decay in very young children.

Prevention is the most effective and the least costly alternative, Berg said, but it requires training both dentists and parents. For example, treatment of infants and toddlers may demand special techniques because they're "pre-cooperative," Berg said.

Still, one might reasonably ask: What's a building got to do with it?

Plenty, Berg insists. To put prevention at the forefront, he needs to be able to show both dentists and parents how it should be done. It wasn't possible to create new, efficient and cost-effective education and training in cramped hospital spaces, he says.

The center will bring together practice, policy, education and research in early childhood oral health — the first such initiative in the nation, Berg says.

"A lot of the stuff we're going to be looking at is behavioral research," because preventing dental disease is about eating habits, brushing technique and proper prevention.

At the new center, big, bright exam rooms feature comfy benches so parents can hover and learn. Magnifying screens swivel around so dentists can show parents what's up in their kid's mouth. Three chairs per work area let parents bring multiple children for one visit — important if it's time away from work.

Operating rooms upstairs allow experienced dentists to tackle tough cases, and there's no shortage of them. Treatment of a facial infection in a 3-year-old caused by an untreated cavity — a problem he sees too often — can easily end up costing $20,000 or $30,000.

"It's crazy," Berg said. "We want to show parents if they come in earlier, we can prevent it."

So excuse Berg if he sounds a bit zealous: "The age 1 dental visit is the most important visit in dentistry."

The cost to renovate the old traffic-control building at the former Sand Point Naval Air Station is primarily financed by a loan from UW.

The cash was raised from the sale of revenue bonds held by private investors. Other sources include Seattle Children's, which gave $1.5 million, and $5 million from Washington Dental Service and the Washington Dental Service Foundation.

Carol M. Ostrom: 206-464-2249 or costrom@seattletimes.com