CDC Wants More Low Income Kids To Get Dental Sealants To Reduce Oral Health Problems In Elementary Schools

Federal health officials with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said that elementary schools could now save as much as $50 per student if they would bring in dental professionals to put sealants on their molars. This would also help children from low income families

A study in the American Journal of Public Health says that students whose oral health was rated good, fair, and poor were three times more likely to be absent in school due to the dental pain. Children with very good and excellent oral health were also observed to perform better in class because those who stayed at home due to toothaches earned Cs, Ds, and even Fs, Los Angeles Times reported.

Dr. Tom Frieden, the director for CDC, noted in a recent statement citing the research that cavities are a risk for all children regardless of the income level. He said that cavities are among the most common chronic conditions among children in the country. Placing dental sealants on the molars of the children will be beneficial because these are the parts of the teeth that are used for chewing and are the most difficult to reach and clean and 90 percent of cavities are found on molars.

Sealants will reduce the cavities by 81 percent in two years and keep fighting the build-up of cavities for up to nine years. The sealants create a barrier between the tooth and the bacteria that causes tooth decay. However, majority of school-age kids do not get these sealants as only 39 percent from low-income kids have them and only 48 percent of higher-income kids have them.

Low-income children are unlikely to get sealants at a dentist's office that is why CDC is asking programs to be expanded to schools to make sure that more students will be able to avail of them, Web MD reported. Each sealant will then save around $11.70 in dental costs over four years so this would really help children from low-income families.

If all the 6.5 million children from low-income families will get sealants, it is estimated that it would save nearly $300 million in dental treatment costs. Meanwhile, dental sealants are recommended for ages six to 12 years old.