Dental Care and Programs

Michigan passed a law to ensure kids enrolling into their first year of school have an oral health assessment prior to starting school as part of school readiness activities for kindergarten entry. Check with your child’s school for details, as each school notifies parents and distributes the required form, which includes information about the law, consistent with school district polices. You may also talk to your current dental provider to assist with completing this assessment. To obtain more information and FAQ’s, we also encourage you to download our Parents Letter under the “Resources & Information” section below.

Although fully preventable with access to a dentist and education, dental cavities remain the #1 chronic childhood disease and is responsible for 51 million missed school hours, nationally, each year. Children with poor oral health are 3 times more likely to miss school due to pain and infection linked to dental cavities. Tooth decay is a significant public health problem in Michigan. More than 1 in 3 Michigan Head Start children (35%) has already experienced tooth decay, almost 1 out of 4 Head Start children (22%) in Michigan have untreated tooth decay (MDHHS, 2018). Students in Michigan need healthy teeth and to be pain free to ensure they can achieve their highest individual learning potential while in school.

What can you do to help?

• Notify Parents
• Provide Access
• Raise Awareness
• Compile Data

To help with these requirements and to gain more information, please download our School Dental Flyer under the “Resources & Information” section below.

Michigan’s new required Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment (KOHA), or evaluation, can be met in many ways. It can be a complete examination and treatment plan performed by a dentist, or it can be a more basic oral health evaluation, such as a screening, which can be performed by a dentist, hygienist or an extended function registered dental assistant with supervision.

The state-required assessment form (MDHHS Health Appraisal form) is simply a tool to collect data about children’s oral health and communicate it to MMDHD and the state. After you complete the form, you provide the form and the findings back to the parent or caregiver and they provide it to the school.

To learn more and receive the required forms, please visit our “Resources & Information” section below.