Welcome to the Dental Health page of the Office of Coordinated School Health website. In this section you will find a Dental Health Fact Sheet for Youth, Dental Health Services in Schools Resource List, Healthy Teeth and Gums Fact Sheet and a general Resources and Information list.

Preventive oral health is integral to general health and means much more than healthy teeth. Below are several areas of concern:

• Good nutrition and diet habits: Many teens are not receiving the benefits of fluoridated water because they are drinking bottled water, and sugared carbonated sodas and sports drinks may contribute to tooth decay.
• Oral piercing: Oral piercing can cause infection, chipped or cracked teeth and interference with dental X-rays.
• Tobacco use: Using spit tobacco, also known as “chew” or “smoke” can result in gum
recession, tooth decay, oral lesions and oral cancers as well as nicotine addiction.
• Sports injuries and protective mouth gear: About one third of all dental injuries and
approximately 19 percent of head and face injuries are sports-related.
• Eating disorders: Anorexia and bulimia also can result in damage to teeth. Poor nutritional intake associated with anorexia means a loss of calcium. Stomach acids from the constant vomiting symptomatic of bulimia erode the enamel on the teeth.

Experts have suggested the following steps as a start to improving access to oral health services for adolescents.

• Improve access to dental care by expanding preventive care to poor inner-city and rural youth through school-based programs.
• Improve Medicaid coverage for patients and reimbursements for dentists, and provide
incentives for dentists to practice in underserved areas.
• Extend dental office hours or provide an on-call service to answer questions.