From infancy into adulthood, there are always ways to improve and maintain your oral health. Each step of the way, you can trust CDA to provide you and your family with important and relevant information. From figuring out the best age for dental sealants to locating affordable dental care for seniors, CDA has you and your loved ones in mind.

• The Baby Teeth Matter and Kick the Can, available in both English and Spanish, are great resources for messaging the importance of having and maintaining good oral health, including avoiding sugary drinks and making healthy choices.
  - Baby Teeth Matter: English version | Spanish version
  - Kick the Can: English version | Spanish version
• The CDA’s Dental Health Education Resource Guide is a fun and informative way for teachers to introduce children in preschool through second grade and third through fifth grades to the importance of good oral health.
• Kindergarten Oral Health Requirement: In 2005, California passed AB1433 requiring a kindergarten dental check-up for every student. This is one way schools can help children stay healthy – by helping parents establish a dental home for their children ensuring they have access to needed services. An archive of this program has been created to assist other states looking to implement similar legislation.
• Share The Care, a public-private partnership between the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, the San Diego County Dental Society, and the San Diego County Dental Health Coalition, has developed a toolkit to assist with AB 1433 activities.  The materials contained within can be adapted to your local needs. Additionally, they created a coloring book for your use and duplication. You may customize the book by using the back page for your agencies’ and sponsors’ logos, and be sure to include local oral health resources contact information.
• Oral sensitivity can affect eating, nutrition, speech, tooth brushing, dental check-ups and oral health and is a common issue for many special-needs children.
• The National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center provides a broad range of resources  to support health professionals, program administrators, educators, policymakers, researchers and others to improve oral health services for infants, children, adolescents, and families. 
• First Smiles is a statewide initiative that takes on the silent epidemic of early childhood caries among children 5 years old and younger.

This year, approximately 30,000 American will be diagnosed with oral or pharyngeal cancer. Learn more about these diseases by visiting:

• Detecting Oral Cancer Early (American Dental Association)
• What You Need to Know About Oral Cancer (National Cancer Institute).

• Click here for CDA's listing of dental clinics in California.  In addition, UOP has compiled a list of dental clinics in California.
• To search for a clinic near you, visit the California Primary Care Association web site, or use the search function offered by the Health Resources and Service Administration.
• Many clinics are in need of volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering your dental professional services, please call the clinic directly for more information. For information about volunteering at and upcoming CDA Cares event, please visit the CDA Foundation website.

Dental sealants help protect teeth from cavities by placing a protective coating over the deep grooves in back teeth.

• The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research provides assistance to daily caregivers of the developmentally disabled. Click here to view Dental Care Every Day: A Caregiver’s Guide.
• Donated Dental Services (DDS) — Volunteer dentists and dental laboratories may provide needed dental treatment at no cost to those who are disabled, elderly or medically compromised. For more information, call 800.232.7645 , ext. 4971, or visit their website.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security provides information about how to "Be Ready" for natural disasters, bioterrorism and other emergencies.

• The American Dental Association’s new web page is the best source of information on fluoride and fluoridation.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Question & Answer sheet for community water fluoridation.
• The U. S. surgeon general is a strong supporter of community fluoridation. View his 2004 statement.
• The California Department of Public Health’s Community Fluoridation Q & A
• Read the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research's statement about the safety and effectiveness of community fluoridation.
• Read Quebec's Analysis of the health benefits and risks of water fluoridation, 2007.
• Fluoride Information Network helps individuals make an informed decision about community water fluoridation.  This web site presents the best known, best substantiated and most truthful information about fluoride.

An outline of California’s government benefit programs is available here. It describes the benefits available from Medicaid (called Medi-Cal in California), Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) and Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT), Children’s Health Insurance Program (known as Healthy Families in California), and California Children’s Services (CSS). It also includes details regarding eligibility as well as external links to a variety of government websites and documents.

Many school districts throughout California have been solicited by mobile/portable dental care providers offering to provide school-based dental services for students.  For most schools and school districts, talking and negotiating with such providers is new.  Some have expressed a need for assistance in deciding whether and under what conditions to contract with these private providers.

In an effort to assist school districts approached by mobile/portable dental care providers, a statewide group of dental and education professionals, including CDA, developed the information below, which includes a one-page overview of issues to consider, a more detailed set of guidelines, and a sample memorandum of understanding.  This information kit is not intended to lead schools/districts to a particular decision; rather, it is intended to give decision-makers some tools and ideas to help make the best choice for a particular situation. 

For more information about mobile dental care providers and what CDA is doing regarding this issue, call 800.CDA.SMILE, ext. 5305.

• Cover Memo
• Things to Consider
• School-based Dental Services: Guidelines for School Districts
• Sample MOU

Pregnancy is a unique time in a woman’s life and is characterized by complex physiological changes.  These changes can adversely affect oral health during pregnancy.  Pregnancy and early childhood are particularly important times to access oral health care because the consequences of poor oral health can have a lifelong impact.  Improving your oral health during pregnancy prevents complications of dental diseases and has the potential to decrease early childhood caries and may reduce preterm and low birth weight deliveries. 
Learn more about the affects of your oral health during pregnancy by visiting:

• Oral Health Fact Sheets-Pregnancy (California Dental Association)
• Guidelines for Oral Health Care during Pregnancy for medical, dental, early childhood and public health providers and Cavity Keep Away (California Dental Association Foundation)
• Oral Health-Pregnancy (American Dental Association)

In November 1986, California voters passed Proposition 65, also known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act. Under Proposition 65, the Governor has published a list of chemicals (over 800 since June 2009) known to be carcinogens and/or reproductive toxicants, as determined by the State of California. Find answers to your questions about Prop 65 in our FAQ.

California Area Agencies on Aging: community agencies designed to lead to the development or enhancement of comprehensive and coordinated community-based programs and services for the elderly in each community. These agencies, administered by the county in which they operate or private non profit agencies, partner with the California Department of Aging.

Tobacco use causes death and disease worldwide. Learn how to quit at U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U. S. surgeon general's tobacco cessation web page, or Smokefree.gov. You can also call 800.QUIT.NOW (800.784.8669) or 800.NO.BUTTS (800.662.8887) for phone support and to set up a personal plan to quit.