Patient-Centered Dental Home: Clearinghouse of Existing Oral Health Quality Indicators


Dental Sealant Ratio

Characteristics
COMPREHENSIVE

Component
Prevention and wellness focused

Measure Concept
Sealants for children

Descriptions
The measure examines the ratio of sealed occlusal surfaces in permanent molar teeth to restored occlusal surfaces in permanent teeth Numerator: Number of sealed occlusal surfaces in permanent molar teeth Denominator: Number of restored occlusal surfaces in permanent molar teeth. Since ideally, sealants should be placed as soon after eruption as possible, timeliness of the sealant application is an important component of assessing plan performance. Thus, by stratifying the measure by age groups when first and second molars are most likely to appear (ie 5-8 for the first molars and 11-14 for the second) will make for a more meaningful comparison between plans.

Measure or Standard
Measure

Populations
Children

Level of Measure
Plan

Data Source

Measure Identification
DQA Starter Set Measures Environmental Scan (2012); DQA Practice Based Measures Environmental Scan (2015)

Developer/Steward

Stage of Development/Use

Measure Endorsement