October is National Dental Hygiene Month. Dental hygienist across the country play an important role in improving overall health of their patients. Dental hygiene is not just about teeth and gums. It’s about the role that unhealthy teeth and gums play in a person’s overall health. A majority of the population do not receive the dental care that they need due a number of different reasons so years ago the I-Smile™ initiative developed. The I-Smile™ program began to help keep kids healthy. It is a statewide program, working to prevent cavities before they start, helping parents get kids to the dentist, and sharing information with everyone about how important oral health is to keep kids healthy. Their goal is to protect the health and wellness of Iowans through early detection and prevention of dental disease by promoting optimal oral health. The I-smile programs are targeted to treat children, pregnant women and in some counties the elderly. These programs are implemented in community based settings, schools, maternal and child health agencies and public health clinics.
Dental sealants and fluoride varnish play an important role in decreasing decay in children. For school aged children, 80-90 percent of tooth decay, or cavities, occur on the chewing surfaces of the molar (back) teeth. Placing dental sealants on these teeth greatly lowers the chance that those teeth will get tooth decay.
Fluoride also helps prevent decay in teeth. Sugars, acids, and bacteria come in contact with our teeth throughout our lives. All these substances cause damage to the tooth. Fluoride can reduce cavities by preventing these substances from breaking down the tooth surfaces.
Here at Trinity Muscatine Public Health, we have two hygienists that provide their services in Muscatine, Louisa and Cedar Counties. Rikki Hetlzer is the I-Smile Coordinator for these counties. She has been in this position for 11 years. She is responsible for the general everyday functions of the program but also gets the opportunity to go into the preschool settings to provided dental screenings and place fluoride varnish on the little ones teeth. Amber Allison is the other hygienist that works for the program. Her role is to do dental screenings and place fluoride varnish on children and pregnant women at WIC Clinics in these counties. She also does screenings in the schools and places dental sealants on children in 2
nd
, 3
rd
, 6
th
and 7
th
grades at the schools that meet the I-Smile™ criteria. In these settings, if any dental need is detected, it is then their responsibility to contact the family to be sure those dental needs are being addressed by a dentist. By providing dental services in a school setting, they are better able to reach children with important preventive care. In the end, they will experience fewer cavities, which helps them concentrate on learning instead of mouth pain.
Amber Allison
563-263-0122
