School Oral Health Services

These guidelines are intended to help school administrators, dentists, dental hygienists, and nurses implement individual school-based oral health programs that are part of Pennsylvania’s overarching school oral health program. The guidelines provide directions for staffing, documenting, and evaluating programs. Topics include Pennsylvania’s overarching program; school-based oral health programs; the mandated school-based oral health program, which represents the minimum oral health services that students in specified grades must receive; dental hygiene care programs; oral emergencies; fluoride guidelines; and referrals and follow-up.

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This report provides guidance for developing and implementing a school-based or school-linked mobile or portable oral health program. It discusses challenges and strategies for overcoming these challenges. Selected challenges discussed include workforce considerations; state dental practice acts, legislation, and other regulations limiting the provision of oral health care; community opposition; infrastructure issues; and infection-control issues. Strategies include program planning, developing policies and procedures, community engagement and education, care coordination, developing business plans and budgets, and implementing quality measures and evaluation.

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This guide provides information about promoting oral health in schools. The guide features materials on data and surveillance; policy; professional education, tools, and training; program development; and public education. Selected materials include a toolkit to help advocates improve the quality of school meals, a roadmap for healthy schools, best practice reports about school-based dental sealant programs and about use of fluoride in schools, and an oral health curriculum for students in kindergarten through grades 10. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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This training is designed to ensure that school-based dental sealant program staff have a thorough understanding of the history, operations, and underlying fundamentals of these programs. The training provides detailed guidelines for infection control in school-based programs; discusses tooth selection and assessment for dental sealants; reviews the dental-sealant-application process; and provides information about program operations. Post-tests are available with options for a completion certificate or for two continuing education credits for dentists and dental hygienists licensed in Ohio. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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This manual provides information about school-linked oral health programs (programs that identify children who need oral health care and then coordinate care with a health professional in the community) for local oral health agencies in California. The manual offers background information about the California Dental Disease Prevention Program and presents a school-linked program model. The model covers selecting schools; programs' educational and outreach requirements; planning, including developing referral criteria, creating a network of dentists, using a referral-management and collection platform, and establishing performance measures; and developing protocols. Also discussed are referral management and care coordination and evaluation.

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This manual is designed to assist professionals in planning, launching, implementing, and sustaining school-based dental sealant programs. This edition pairs the manual with a training that further prepares professionals to plan and operate programs. In addition to offering a step-wise approach for planning and implementing school-based dental sealant programs, the Seal America manual addresses issues related to referring students with unmet oral health needs to a dental clinic or office. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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This report offers information about school dental sealant programs, including school-based, school-linked, and hybrid programs. It includes background information; a rationale for sealant programs; guidelines, recommendations, and evidence reviews to support the establishment of school-based programs; considerations to take into account when implementing school-based programs; and state practice examples illustrating strategies and interventions for school-based programs. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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This booklet is designed to help school nurses and others who work with school-age children provide effective treatment for minor oral health emergencies or problems such as inflamed or irritated gum tissue, toothaches, a broken or displaced tooth, traumatic avulsion, and a lacerated lip or tongue. Topics include dental first aid and primary and permanent dentition. A dental-trauma decision tree is included.

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This toolkit provides information and tools related to conducting oral health screenings in schools in Kansas. It discusses the importance of conducting such screenings. It also presents standards, discusses preparation and procedures for conducting screenings, and offers considerations for the school oral health team.

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This resource guide provides an overview of the use and application of dental sealants. The first section features descriptions of and links to materials on policy, professional education, tools, training, public education, and state and local programs. The second section lists federal agencies, national professional associations, and resource centers that may serve as resources. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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This paper presents a framework for how communities can achieve improved and more equitable oral health outcomes. The framework includes five components: oral health education, oral health screening, preventive oral health care, care coordination and linkage to community-based care, and preventive oral health care and oral health treatment in schools. Data collection and sustainability.

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This guide offers health professionals an overview of preventive oral health supervision during five developmental periods: prenatal, infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. It is designed to help health professionals implement specific oral health guidelines during these periods. For each period, information about family preparation, risk assessment, interview questions, screening, examination, preventive procedures, anticipatory guidance, measurable outcomes, and referrals is discussed. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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This framework offers ideas for school-based health centers (SBHCs) to consider when integrating sustainable comprehensive oral health services into primary care to improve the quality of oral health care of children and adolescents. The framework presents a description of six levels of integration to help SBHCs evaluate their current level of integration and key elements to more fully integrate sustainable comprehensive oral health services into primary care in SBHCs. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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This framework provides the context for leveraging oral health priorities and actions across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and partner agencies. The framework aligns key activities with goals and associated strategies in response to recommendations from the Institute of Medicine and discussions with external stakeholders. Topics include integrating oral health care and primary care, preventing oral disease and promoting oral health, increasing access to oral health care and eliminating disparities, increasing the dissemination of information and improving health literacy, and advancing oral health in public policy and research.

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This fact sheet presents information on the effects of poor oral health on learning in school-age children. Topics include the impact of poor oral health on school performance and social relationships, nutrition and learning, school attendance and learning, and programs for improving oral health. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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This paper provides an overview of comprehensive oral health services offered in school-based health centers to assist those interested in initiating and implementing such centers. Topics include an overview and history of school-based health services, examples of national and state programs, administration, partnership and collaboration, financial and nonfinancial support, and evaluation. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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This document provides information that school-based clinic staff can use to help improve students’ oral health. The document offers tips for promoting oral health with students and parents, describes other problems that students with poor oral health may have, and offers tips for incorporating oral health into the school setting and for working with others in the community. The document emphasizes the important effect that staff can have on students’ lives by helping students achieve good oral health. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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This fact sheet provides information about the importance of good oral health during childhood and adolescence. Topics include school readiness, disparities, oral trauma, nutrition, dental sealants, fluoride varnish, and school-based and school-linked oral health services. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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