Background: Fluoride is vital in the prevention of dental caries in children. In 2014, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) deemed fluoride varnish a recommended preventive service (grade B). Electronic health record (EHR)-based clinical decision support (CDS) tools have shown variable ability to alter physicians’ ordering behaviors. Objectives: This study aimed to increase the application of fluoride varnish in children while analyzing the effect of two passive CDS tools — an order set and a note template. Methods: Data on outpatient pediatric visits over an 18-month period before and after CDS implementation (10/15/2020 – 4/15/2022) were queried, while trends in application rate of fluoride were examined. We constructed a multiple logistic regression model with a primary outcome of whether a patient received fluoride at his/her visit. The primary predictor was a ‘phase’ variable representing the CDS implemented. Physician interaction with CDS, as well as the financial effects of the resulting service use, were also examined. Results: There were 3049 well-child visits of children aged 12 months to 5 years. The addition of a fluoride order to a “Well Child Check” order set led to a 10.6% increase in ordering over physician education alone (25.4% vs 14.8%, p = .001), while the insertion of fluoride-specific text to drop-down lists in clinical notes led to a 6.2% increase (31.5% vs 25.4%, p = .005). Whether a patient received topical fluoride was positively associated with order set implementation (OR 5.87, 95% CI 4.20-8.21) and fluoride-specific drop-down lists (OR 7.81, 95% CI 5.41-11.28). Female providers were more likely to use order sets when ordering fluoride (56.2% vs 40.9% for males, p = <.0001). Added revenue totaled $15,084. Conclusions: The targeted use of order sets and note templates was positively associated with the ordering of topical fluoride by physicians.
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