To prevent tooth decay, dental sealants are provided to Connecticut’s low-income children at higher rates than other states in the nation according to the New Hampshire Register’s Cara Rosner.
In 2011, a little more than 10 percent of the economically disadvantaged children in Connecticut enrolled in the Connecticut Dental Health Partnership, a Department of Social Services (DSS) program. By 2017, almost 20 percent of children from low-income families were participating — 226,111 children in all, ages 5 to 16.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services explains that — across the nation — only 14.9 percent enrolled in the program in 2015, a mere 2.7 million of the more than 17 million eligible to receive sealants.
Connecticut has a participation rate almost 5 percent higher than the national average.
State officials and dental providers make a concerted effort to educate families about the importance of sealants, said Donna Balaski, director of dental services at DSS. She told the Register, “Sealants are shown to be an effective treatment for preventing disease.”
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, elementary-age children have three times the chance of getting molar cavities than those who have sealants, and “The percentage of children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years with untreated tooth decay is twice as high for those from low-income families (25%) compared with children from higher-income households (11%).”
Sealants are clear, thin covers applied to the teeth that are most susceptible to decay — the molars — and are proven to greatly reduce tooth decay during the years when children are most vulnerable.
The Register’s Cara Rosner interviewed Dr. William Nash, a practicing dentist who works in Fairfield, who said, “It’s one of the best preventive measures out there.”
In addition to being effective, applying the sealants is a painless, simple procedure. So simple, in fact, many of the districts in Connecticut that have school-based clinics allow dental hygienists to apply the sealants under the guidance of a licensed dentist.
Considering the effectiveness of sealants and the success Connecticut has had, it shouldn’t be long until the rest of the nation catches up. At least, it should.
