Kindergarten Oral Health Requirement
June 2009 UPDATE - Funding for Kindergarten Dental Check-up Eliminated
Due to the current budget shortfall, the California Department of Education was forced to prioritize programs receiving designated Prop 98 funds. The kindergarten dental check-up requirement was designated a low priority. As a result, program funding was eliminated and schools are no longer required to continue AB 1433 activities. However, because dental disease is so widespread, has potential for illness and death when untreated, and causes significant amounts of absenteeism, schools are encouraged to continue to educate parents about the importance of oral health to overall health and learning, and collect and submit AB 1433 data.
With assistance from the California Dental Association, the San Joaquin COE (SJCOE) is now able to offer FREE ACCESS to the System for California Oral Health Reporting (SCOHR), the online, statewide system of data collection. If your school, district or COE is interested in participating, please contact the SJCOE at scohr@sjcoe.net or call 866.762.9170. Visit www.ab1433.org.
FREE ACCESS TO SCOHR BEGAN JUNE 1, 2009
SCOHR offers two methods by which data can be entered. The “complete method” tracks all data from the Oral Assessment Request Forms. Data is entered at the school site level to protect confidentiality of records. SCOHR tracks the status of all Oral Assessment Request Forms at the school level; information on when the form was generated and/or sent, when it was returned signed, whether it is pending, etc. Schools are able to input, manage, and track electronic Oral Assessment Request Forms and all oral health assessment data; bulk upload data to pre-fill the Oral Assessment Request Forms; print pre-filled Oral Assessment Request Forms (individually or in-bulk); and export all data into a standardized format. At the district and county levels, SCOHR provides a report generator capable of running real-time/ad-hoc, custom reports based on all the fields in the system (i.e. school, district, ethnicity, visible caries, treatment urgency, etc.)
The second option requires districts to enter aggregated totals (by school) into the system either by hand or uploaded in bulk. This option limits the ability to generate various reports at the district and county level because only the state required data is entered:
- The total number of pupils who are subject to the requirement
- The total number who presented proof of an assessment
- The number who could not complete an assessment due to financial burden
- The number who could not complete an assessment due to lack of access to a licensed dental professional
- The number who could not complete an assessment because of lack of parental consent
- The number who are assessed and found to have untreated decay
The number who did not return either the assessment form or the waiver request to the school
For more information contact SJCOE at scohr@sjcoe.net, call 866.762.9170 or visit www.ab1433.org
In 2006, CDA sponsored AB 1433 (Emmerson/Laird). This landmark legislation requires that children have a dental check-up by May 31 of their first year in public school, at kindergarten or first grade. Dental evaluations that have happened within the 12 months prior to school entry also meet this requirement. If a dental check-up cannot be obtained, parents may get an excuse from this requirement by filling out the form provided by the child's school. Copies of the required form are available at the child’s school, at the California Department of Education Web site, or by clicking here.
The ultimate goal of this program is to establish a regular source of dental care for every child. The program will also identify children who need further examination and dental treatment, and will identify barriers to receiving care.
Many things influence a child’s progress and success in school – and one of the most important is their health. Children must be healthy to learn and children with cavities are not healthy. Cavities are preventable, but they affect more children than any other chronic disease!
Children need their teeth to eat properly, speak, smile and feel good about themselves. Children with cavities eat poorly, stop smiling, and don’t learn properly. Tooth decay is an infection that does not heal without treatment. If cavities are not treated, children can develop infections severe enough to require emergency room treatment and their adult teeth may be permanently damaged.
For further information, click on the appropriate link. Questions? Contact Gayle Mathe, Community Health Advocate at gayle.mathe@cda.org or call 916.554.4995.
Information for Dental Professionals
Information for Parents and Guardians
State-Required Assessment Forms
Kindergarten Dental Checkup Campaign Information
Oral Health Requirement Campaign Press Release
Shared Resources for Children's Oral Health
Oral Health Fact Sheets
How can you protect your teeth so that they will serve you for a very long time? When it comes to maintaining oral health, ask questions! Find answers to your oral health questions with our oral health fact sheets, now available in English, Spanish, Hmong, Chinese, Russian, and Vietnamese.