The IHS Early Childhood Caries Initiative is a new program designed to promote prevention and early intervention of dental caries (tooth decay) in young children through an interdisciplinary approach. Components of the program include: early oral health assessments by community partners such as Head Start, the Women’s, Infants, and Children’s Program (WIC), nurses, doctors, and Community Health Representatives (CHRs); fluoride varnish application by these community partners and dental teams; dental sealants on primary teeth by dental teams at an early age; the use of Interim Therapeutic Restorations (ITR) to reduce the need of children having to go to the operating room to receive dental treatment; and the establishment of a national oral health surveillance system to measure the impact of this Initiative.