November 19, 1999
San Ysidro Health Center (SYHC) recently received a $30,000 grant from the Maternal/Child Health Bureau to provide dental sealants for children in the San Ysidro School District, announced Terry Whitaker, director of oral health services for the Center.
In the coming months, 900 to 1,200 second and fifth grade youngsters from La Mirada, Smythe, Sunset and Willow Schools will have the opportunity to be screened for the possibility of having sealants applied to the biting surfaces of their molar teeth. Based on past experience, approximately 300 to 500 of these children will receive free sealants.
According to Whitaker, significant improvements in the oral health of the American population have occurred in the past two decades. However, these gains have not been experienced within certain segments of the population. While many children in California have been protected from tooth decay, oral diseases continue to be one of the most prevalent and untreated diseases of children in the state.
Racial and ethnic minorities, the poor and those without dental insurance experience the highest rates of untreated oral disease. In fact, findings from the California Oral Health Needs Assessment of Children (1993-94), indicate the oral health of California's children is worse than the national average.
For example, a key finding from the study reveals that only 10 percent of Califor-nia's 6 to 8 year old children had received sealants as opposed to the U.S. average of 21 percent for this age group.
"Sealants are an important part of cavity prevention," said Whitaker. "Sealants have proven to be effective and reliable. In addition, they are easily applied by dentists, dental hygienists and other specially-trained personnel," he said.
"However, in spite of their effectiveness and ease of application, dental sealants are not being used as they should be in low-income and ethnic/racial minority populations."
According to Whitaker, sealants for permanent teeth are best when used in combination with patient education, effective oral hygiene, fluorides and regular dental visits. Local school children in grade K through six who attend targeted schools participate in the "Smiles" Dental Health Education Program that emphasizes weekly supervised fluoride mouthrins-ing, daily dry-brushing and oral health education.
In order to meet the national goals of the U.S. Public Health Service Initiative, Health People 2000, which was established to reduce the rate of tooth decay and other oral health diseases, San Ysidro Health Center's proposed Children's Dental Sealant Project will fill the gap in the continuum of preventive services by adding a comprehensive dental examination and the application of sealants to the existing array of "Smiles" program services.
For additional information on the dental sealant program, parents can contact their elementary school health services offices or San Ysidro Health Center, (619) 662-4104.
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