Most people don’t associate school with dental care. But for America’s ToothFairy, school closings due to the pandemic are a major problem. Up to 80% of the nonprofit dental clinics participating in the our Dental Resource Program provide dental services through school-based programs.
For impoverished communities, these programs can be the only way for families to access dental care and are an effective way to prevent tooth decay in children. A recent study showed that school-based dental programs reduced students’ cavities by more than 50%. That’s a big deal considering that dental disease is among the top reasons for school absence and, when left untreated, costs billions of dollars each year.
In an article in Dentistry Today, we shared how our member clinics are working to overcome this barrier and what must be done to get school-based dental programs back on track. Read more...
