Information and resources for promoting oral health in schools.
Good oral health is an important part of good overall health. Instructional time is lost when students miss school because of toothaches. An estimated 51 million school hours per year are lost nationally due to dental related illness. Overall, children with good oral health spend more time in school learning. This is the reason oral health prevention is important to schools, students and their families. Dental public health focuses on improving oral health for all children and their families by reducing disparities and expanding access to effective prevention programs.
The WVDE and WVDHHR are committed to supporting WV public schools in their efforts of ensuring every student has a dental home, access to at minimal annual dental examinations, has community water fluoridation, school dental sealant programs and linkage to school-based oral health services. Funding through the WVDHHR grant from CDC has provided more than half of West Virginia county boards of education with opportunities to develop and expanded dental services to students.