Thanks to a $50,000 grant, Granville Vance Public Health is launching a school-based oral health program called the Tooth Club to support and improve dental health among children.
The grant comes from the Triangle North Health Care Foundation and the GVPH Carolina Fellows Family Dentistry clinic will oversee the program to provide preventive and restorative care in various school settings, including Headstart, Henderson Collegiate and Vance County Schools, according to information from GVPH Workforce Development Jesus Peralta.
Regular preventive dental care is essential for good oral health, and early childhood tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease in the United States. Not all children in Vance and Granville counties have access to dental care. If left untreated, tooth decay can lead to infection and pain that can inhibit a child’s ability to eat, sleep, speak, play, and learn, as well as cause chronic childhood health challenges such as diabetes, heart disease and malnourishment.
The Tooth Club will offer preventive oral care, such as cleanings, x-rays, fluoride, sealants and oral health education to uninsured students enrolled in the SBOH clinics. Services are provided at no cost to the student or family – regardless of insurance status, household income or immigration status. Student participants can also receive restorative oral health care services at no cost.
Dr. Navid Nesab, the dentist at Carolina Fellows Family Dentistry, stated: “Our School Based Oral Health clinics allow students to receive preventive oral health services within a familiar school environment, reduce the amount of time students are absent from school for oral health appointments, and keep parents from having to miss work to take their child to the dentist for needed oral health services. Triangle North Health Care Foundation’s grant also allows us the ability to perform restorative care for uninsured SBOH patients at no cost to the families.”
Any child attending HeadStart, Henderson Collegiate, or Vance County Public Schools is eligible to enroll for the SBOH clinics, held at each school location periodically. To enroll your student, please contact the School Nurse at your child’s school to obtain the consent form or contact the dental clinic directly at 919.693.8797 or by email at dental@gvph.org. Visit https://www.gvph.org/clinic/dental/ to learn more.