Our Registered Dental Hygienists and Dental Assistants visit elementary schools every year to provide free oral health screenings to students in kindergarten and grade two. At some schools, we may also screen students in other grades.
The school screenings help us to:
- Identify children with urgent oral health needs or other oral health issues
- Provide essential preventive oral health services
- Link eligible students with free oral health programs for children and youth ages 0-17
- Monitor the oral health needs in our communities
What happens at the screening?
The Dental Hygienist provides basic education about keeping your mouth clean and gives new toothbrushes to all the students. They also:
- Use a no touch or low touch way to do the screening
- Take a quick look in the mouth (usually under a minute) with a sterilized mouth mirror
- Wear non-latex gloves
- Issue a dental report card to each student
- Follow up on children who need urgent dental care
It is best if all eligible children are screened. However, parents can decline their child’s participation by handing in a written note to the teacher/principal before the screening date.
Information for educators
One in four children enter school with untreated open decay. Untreated dental disease is painful and can affect a child’s healthy development. Students with untreated dental decay may have trouble sleeping and eating properly, concentrating in school, or managing the associated emotions.
Encourage students to make healthy food choices and to build good oral hygiene habits. You can support their participation in the public health screening program by talking to them about it and ensuring they return their signed personal information update and consent/refusal form from their parent/guardian. You can also use these questions to talk to students about the importance of oral health:
- How do our teeth and our smile impact everyday life?
- What happens when our teeth hurt?
- What can we do to take care of our teeth and our smile?
Find curriculum support to promote oral health in the classroom.