Associated Press
HUNTINGTON —
A Marshall University program that offers free dental care at school found that more than 43 percent of the children seen during the first year had untreated dental decay.
It also found that lack of insurance was not to blame: Nearly nine in 10 children had some form of coverage.
The West Virginia School Community Partnership, now in its second year, offers exams, cleanings, fluoride treatments and sealants. Marshall’s Center for Rural Health runs the program, which is funded by a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.
Last year, 10 counties got grants to treat more than 2,300 children.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting reported Tuesday that nearly half of those children failed to see a dentist regularly, even though 62 percent were on Medicaid, 8 percent were in the Children’s Health Insurance Program and 8.3 percent had private insurance.
The outreach program is aimed at changing generational attitudes about oral health by reaching children earlier.
“I truly believe it’s an educational thing,” said Marshall oral health coordinator Bobbi Muto. “... I don’t think we place a value on dental care and dental services like we should.”
Children can’t get to dentists on their own, she said, so it’s up to their families to see that they get regular care.
The Mid Ohio Valley Health Department in Parkersburg screened more than 400 students in Wood County last year. Dental hygienist Mary Beth Shea said most had received no preventive services before that, whether in the form of cleaning, fluoride treatment or sealants.
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Information from: West Virginia Public Broadcasting, click HERE
