SPOT Toolkit

This section of our oral health toolkit is designed specifically for you, providing a wealth of resources to help improve children’s oral health. Here, you’ll find materials to incorporate oral health into your daily activities with students, printable resources to display throughout the school, and content for weekly newsletters or emails sent home to parents and caregivers.

Oral health is a critical component of overall health, especially for children. In Pennsylvania, the data highlights the importance of proactive oral health measures:

• Approximately 60% of Pennsylvania children in both rural and urban areas have a cavity by the time they reach third-grade.
• An estimated 25.8% of children have untreated decay concluded from a state-wide estimate of oral health indicators in third-grade children.
• Children with poor oral health are three times more likely to miss school due to dental pain. 

Here is a link to the most recent basic screening survey conducted in PA in 2021-2022. Please include this BSS one pager summary to continue to advocate for overall health for students in your school.

By utilizing the resources in this toolkit, you can help reduce these statistics and promote healthier smiles among your students.

Ensuring children have access to dental care is vital for their overall health and well-being. As a school professional, you play a key role in connecting families to the resources they need. Below is a guide to help parents and caregivers navigate dental care options for their children.

1. Are you in a school district with a Mandated Dental Program (MDP) or a Dental Hygiene Services Program (DHSP)?
   Regardless of which program your school district participates in, there should be a Dentist of Record that you can consult with for referrals. If you have a DHSP, discuss with the Certified School Dental Hygienist the oral health needs of your students.

   The first step in assisting families to find dental care is working with your dentist of record. All school districts are required to identify a “dentist of record”; districts with a Mandated Dental Program can utilize a Public Health Dental Hygiene Practitioner to complete the screenings and sign the forms. Refer to this form for more information on a (PHDHP). These providers may already have a list created that you can provide to families.

   For more information on MDP vs. DHSP please refer to the Pennsylvania School Health Procedures: School Dental Health Program download.

2. Collaborate with Pediatricians
   This includes the pediatrician of record within the school district and potentially referring families to their own family pediatrician. Pediatricians can have networks of dental professionals they can recommend. This is an opportunity to encourage families to discuss dental care during visits with their pediatricians for helpful referrals and advice.
3. Leverage Health Events
   Health awareness events are excellent opportunities to:
   Invite local dental professionals to speak to students and/or families
   Build relationships with providers who can address the dental needs of your school community
4. Create a Local Provider Network
   If the above is not available to you or the students, consider building a list of local dental providers.

Printable Posters and Flyers: Display these around the school to remind students about the importance of brushing and flossing.

Keeping students and caregivers engaged in overall health is crucial. By taking these steps, you can empower students to prioritize overall health and provide them the opportunity to learn and understand health at a young age. 

Here are some examples of what you can do throughout the school year. 

• Start the conversations during health check-ups in the nurse’s office. You can learn a lot from these questions beyond their oral health.  

• • Have you seen a dentist in the last year? 

• • What have you been snacking on? 

• • Are you drinking water? 

• • Are you brushing your teeth every day? 

• School digital outreach strategies such as social media, apps, portals, text messages, and newsletters: Insert any of the resources found in the toolkit to your school’s newsletter templates or social media posts. Send reminders to visit a dentist for routine check-ups.  

• School-wide activities and student engagement. 

• Below are some events you can incorporate at your school to foster student engagement and raise awareness. These events don’t need to focus solely on oral health, they can also highlight the connection between oral health and overall well-being. Create activities/newsletters/digital outreach based around these events. For instance, during Oral Cancer Awareness Month, activities could include anti-tobacco or nicotine campaigns, HPV education, and discussions about the oral health impacts of these factors. And National Nutrition Month, schools can emphasize the connection between nutrition and oral health. 

• • February is National Children’s Dental Health Month.
  • March is National Nutrition Month – highlight how proper nutrition is related not only to overall health but preventing cavitie

• • March 6th is National Dentist’s Day – this is a great opportunity to reach out to local providers to share school oral health needs and thank them for any support they can provide.

• • March 20th is World Oral Health Day.

• • April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month.

• • 2nd week in April is Dental Hygienist Appreciation Week – another opportunity to bring oral health providers into your school and share oral health needs that they’ll be able to support the school with.  

• • National Smile Month (Mid May-Mid June) 
  • June 23rd is National Hydration Day – highlight the importance of drinking water vs sugary beverages. Great chance to show the importance related to overall health, including cavity prevention. 

• August 6th is National Fresh Breath Day. 
  

• November 1st National Brush Day.

Easily direct parents to additional resources by including QR codes in your communications.

Together, we can support PA Oral Health Plan and Healthy People 2030 Oral Health Objectives while making a significant impact on the oral health of children in our community. Thank you for your dedication and commitment to their well-being!

Fluoride is a key player in the fight against tooth decay, and understanding its presence in your local water supply can help you make informed decisions about your family’s oral health. In Pennsylvania, as well as in many other states, community water systems that choose to fluoridate their water operate under strict guidelines to ensure safety and effectiveness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified an optimal fluoride concentration of 0.7 milligrams per liter (mg/L) in drinking water as the ideal level to prevent cavities while minimizing the risk of dental fluorosis, a condition caused by excessive fluoride intake during tooth development.

In Pennsylvania, the Department of Environmental Protection oversees water fluoridation practices by issuing permits to community water systems. These systems are required to adhere to the optimal fluoride levels, carefully monitoring and adjusting concentrations to maintain compliance. This regulatory oversight ensures that residents have access to safe and effective fluoridated water.

For parents/caregivers, this information is especially valuable because fluoride in water strengthens tooth enamel, helps repair early signs of decay, and provides a cost-effective method of improving dental health for entire communities. Fluoridated water reaches everyone, including those who might not have regular access to dental care. To check if you live in a community with fluoridated water, visit Community Water Fluoridation Status in Pennsylvania or My water’s fluoride through the CDC to learn more. This map, broken down by school district and county, shows one way this resource reflects the availability of water fluoridation.