When children’s oral health suffers, so does their ability to learn.
Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease. It can affect children’s speech development, eating habits, activity levels, and self-esteem.
Colorado kids miss an estimated 34 million hours of school every year due to mouth pain and infection.
Nearly 46 percent of kindergarteners and 60 percent of third graders already had a cavity by the time of their first screening, with almost a quarter needing urgent dental care.
Lower-income students have significantly higher numbers of cavities and levels of tooth decay compared to higher-income peers. This makes it harder for children to attend and focus on their education, increasing the achievement gap.
Many of these students have dental coverage through programs such as Medicaid or Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) but fewer than half have used the coverage.
In 2008, Northeast Colorado Health Department formed local partnerships with the goal of providing free, school-based oral health services in Phillips and Sedgwick counties. A 2013 Caring for Colorado grant allowed us to expand services into Logan and Morgan counties.
Through generous continued grant support, we continue to bring registered dental hygienists to provide oral health services to children in preschool through sixth grade. All services require permission from a parent or guardian.
Since 2021, our dental hygienists have completed 1200 visual screenings and fluoride applications, and placed sealants for 180 children who have first molars. Over 360 screenings have resulted in a referral to a dentist for further treatment due to decay, infection, or other pressing needs.
Oral health education is provided to all children in the classroom along with a hygiene kit. The hygiene kit includes a new toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, a timer, and educational materials for the student and parent/guardian to read together.
These services are not intended to replace regular dentist visits, but to offer additional screenings and help children become more comfortable with dentists.
Free services available with signed permission slip:
Visual Dental Screening: A registered dental hygienist evaluates the teeth and soft tissue for decay and other dental needs, and provides individual instruction on proper brushing and hygiene.
Fluoride Varnish: Application of fluoride varnish is quick, simple, painless, and strengthens tooth enamel. NCHD provides all of the supplies. Fluoride varnish can be declined on the permission slip.
Dental Sealants: Sealants are a thin plastic coating painted onto the chewing surfaces of six- and 12-year permanent molars and are one of the best cavity prevention methods available. They are typically applied in first grade and sixth grade because that is when those permanent molars have erupted, but do not yet have decay. Sealants fill small pits and grooves in teeth so food and germs cannot get caught and the teeth are easier to keep clean.
A copy of screening report is sent home along with a list of local dental providers. If a child is referred to have restorative or emergency care done by a dentist, an NCHD Community Health Navigator will follow up with parents/guardians to help address any barriers to care they may be experiencing.
List of Local Providers
The following is a list of dental providers compiled by the NCHD Oral Health team. This list is gathered to help the public find a dental provider and does not constitute an endorsement of any provider.