Celebrating Children’s Dental Health Month

By Karen Cody Carlson, Oral Health Colorado

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. In Colorado, Governor John Hickenlooper has proclaimed oral health as a priority “winnable battle,” and recently signed a proclamation making February Children’s Dental Health Month. On February 7, more than 20 oral health stakeholder organizations (and many second graders from Rocky Mountain Prep) participated in Dental Day at the Capitol-an event designed to expand legislators’ knowledge of oral health and its connection to general health.

In Colorado, as in other states, dental disease that causes cavities is the number one chronic childhood disease-more than five times more prevalent than asthma. More than half of Colorado third graders and 40 percent of kindergartners have experienced cavities-those are shameful numbers when we know that cavities are nearly 100% preventable.

Children who suffer from severe tooth decay often have trouble speaking, chewing, paying attention in school and forming healthy social bonds with other children and adults. In several well-reported instances, untreated tooth decay has caused the deaths of children. Children in lower-income families experience significantly more dental disease than do children in more affluent families and communities. For those of us concerned with health equity within our state and nation, oral health disparities are of great concern.

Oral Health Colorado is the state wide oral health coalition-we have a plan, and are and leading the way in promoting policies and initiatives that will assure that every Colorado child has access to affordable, effective and comprehensive oral health education, and services. As in any important work, it’s the people who have a passion for oral health who together have developed a strong and unified network of advocates. Stakeholders are diverse and include people connected to rural health centers, school based health centers, federally qualified health centers, independent nonprofits, public health, foundations, private practice dentists and dental hygienists, physicians, nurses, physician assistants and consumers. All are working together to meet the oral health needs of Coloradans-and to once and for all, eradicate dental disease.

By building trusting relationships and expanding networks, Colorado has achieved remarkable success many areas that impact oral health:

• The legislature approved a Medicaid adult dental benefit
• The waiting period for children enrolled in CHP+ was eliminated
• An oral health community grants program was created
• Medicaid reimbursement for oral health risk assessments, screenings and fluoride varnish for children of all ages seen by primary care providers in school-based health centers was approved
• The Old Age Pension Dental Assistance Program was reinstated, with considerably more funding available
• A statewide oral health public will-building campaign was launched.

In this current legislative session, we are poised to achieve market alignment inside and outside of Connect for Health Colorado, which will result in a pediatric dental benefit available to all children whose families purchase insurance through the insurance marketplace.

While we’ve seen a lot of success and unprecedented momentum in elevating awareness about oral health as a major public health concern, there is much more work to be done. We are energized by the growth of our coalition, and the encouraging results we’ve realized in collaboration with critical partners. This is a battle we can, and will, win.

Dental Day at the Capitol 2014