Healthy teeth not only help children eat, speak and sleep better, they also help them to perform better in school. With the beginning of the school year just around the corner, the
Sacramento County Oral Health Program encourages parents and caregivers to make getting a dental check-up for their children a priority.
That’s especially true for children entering kindergarten. California requires that all children have a comprehensive oral check-up by the time they are ready to enter public school. The “Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment” helps schools identify children suffering from untreated dental disease.
“Visiting the dentist before school starts should be at the top of every family’s back-to-school checklist along with school physicals, vaccinations and school supplies,” said Sacramento County Health Officer, Dr. Olivia Kasirye. “Regular dental check-ups allow dentists to identify dental problems early and allow children to receive preventive treatments, such as sealants and fluoride.”
Cavities, which are largely preventable, remain the most common chronic childhood disease. In the Sacramento region, more than 46 percent of students have experienced tooth decay by third grade. To help address the issue, Sacramento County Oral Health Program is partnering with Smile, California, the Medi-Cal Dental Program’s campaign to help Medi-Cal members make use of their dental benefit, and the California Department of Public Health’s Office of Oral Health, in a statewide Back-Tooth-School effort to raise awareness about the importance of children’s dental health.
