A bill passed last year ensures kindergarteners throughout Delaware will have free dental screenings before the end of the 2024-2025 school year.
That’s thanks to House Bill 83, which was signed into law last August.
The Kindergarten Oral Health Screening Program sends dental hygienists and dentists to public and charter schools, where kindergarteners will miss no more than 15 minutes of class to receive a preventive screening.
Delaware’s state dental director Nicholas Conte said the Department of Education is required to do vision, hearing, postural and gait screenings – but oral health has long been left out of that list.
“In truth, I think as a society, we've kind of separated medical and dental, and I'm not sure why,” Conte said.
45% of Delaware kindergarteners had experienced at least one tooth with decay in the 2021-2022 school year, according to a public health report Conte put together last year.
Harvard Health reports poor oral health is often tied to higher rates of cardiovascular problems like heart attacks and strokes. Poor oral health, including gum disease, is also associated with high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which can also increase cardiovascular risks, according to the American Academy for Oral & Systemic Health.
“In order for a person to be healthy, it's not just physical health,” Conte said. “But there's mental health, emotional health, societal health. There's so much else that goes along with that. And my job, and the job of my group, is to make sure that oral health is part of that equation and not be left behind again.”
Part of their strategy is to include oral health in school screenings.
“Every year, DOE is asked how kids are doing in school, but it's kind of an unfair question in that healthy students, we know they’re going to perform better than students with physical problems,” Conte said.
Dental care accessibility is a national issue – the American Dental Association reports cost barriers are most severe for dental care services as compared to other types of health care.
In 2023, 13% of the population reported cost barriers to dental care, according to the ADA. That means people who needed dental services did not obtain them because of cost.
Conte said the Kindergarten Oral Health Screening Program helps families access care if they find something of concern during screenings.
“We want to make sure that we're addressing any oral health issue as early on as we possibly can, so that we know the school has healthy students, the students can learn, and the schools can be proud of their performance.”
Conte’s goal is to find oral health issues early and keep students healthy.