September 18, 2024

Wellness Sync

Start the Day with a Smile, Finish with Health

Back to School and Oral Health

Back to School and Oral Health

It’s back to school for millions of U.S. children. As caregivers prepare for another academic year the countdown checklist includes new backpacks, school supply shopping, meet the teacher events, and scheduling the annual physical. What’s sorely overlooked but critical: our children’s oral health. Dental issues can derail a child’s classroom performance before the year even begins.

The most common chronic condition for children is dental caries (tooth decay and/or cavities), with a prevalence greater than 40% among children 2 to 19 years of age. These oral issues can have a profound effect on the health and well-being of children and their families in the near term, but with ripple effects on their long-term quality of life if not addressed. So, while many schools require an annual physical to attend school and/or participate in activities such as sports, essential dental care is largely ignored. This presents a missed opportunity that could have a profound impact on many children, particularly those from underserved communities across the U.S.

I believe a dental checkup should be part of the back-to-school checklist to set up our children for success in and out of the classroom. According to a systematic review published in the Journal of the American Dental Association in 2019, poor oral health was significantly associated with an increased chance of poor academic performance as well as absenteeism. On average, 34 million school hours are lost each year due to unplanned (emergency) dental care, cited one study by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Another study found, on average, elementary school children miss six days of school per year – and over a third of them, 2.1 days, were due to dental problems. The research also found these children are four times more likely to have a lower grade point average. These absences add up, affecting not just attendance records but also long-term academic performance.

Having access to oral healthcare is critical for all children, but especially those from marginalized groups. Children from low-income households are twice as likely to have cavities as children from higher-income households, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC’s 2019 Oral Health Surveillance Report found that while disparities in oral health by race or ethnicity and poverty have improved since the early 2000s, there are still gaps, particularly for some racial and ethnic minorities and lower-income patients. The shrinkage in disparities was attributed to a near doubling of children covered by Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP). While that is great news, I fear the recent unraveling of Medicaid could push many of those underserved children and families back again, with nearly 25 million people losing their Medicaid coverage since states started redetermining eligibility, according to the health policy group KFF.  

Beyond avenues to expand coverage for low-income families, dental providers can also support these communities. While 43% of U.S. dentists are signed up to accept Medicaid or CHIP plans for children, 67% did not treat a single child covered by one of these plans. It is imperative for providers to flip this stat around and provide new opportunities to care for children without insurance as much as they are able. Together, we can create a positive change for these children that will last far beyond their school years.

As we send our kids back to school this fall, let’s remember that a healthy smile is about more than looks, although we know that matters to our children too. It’s about giving our children the best possible start in life, free from the pain and distraction of dental problems, which are likely to occur if left untreated. By prioritizing oral health now, we’re investing in our children’s future success in the classroom and beyond. Adding a dental exam to the back-to-school checklist is an important first step.

Picture: Nastasic, Getty Images


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Bryan Carey is the CEO of Benevis, a leading dental healthcare delivery organization for practices focused on delivering life-changing oral care and orthodontics to underserved communities. He has spent over 20 years improving and streamlining healthcare services for both providers and patients, ultimately making healthcare more equitable and accessible to those who need it most. Carey has an Applied Baccalaureate Degree in Economics from Georgetown University and an MBA from The Wharton School.

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