Wisconsin preventing kids’ cavities better than most other states

Wisconsin is apparently making better efforts than most of other states to prevent children's cavities, which causes difficulties in eating, speaking as well as affects ability to learn.

Managed by the Children's Health Alliance, the Seal-A-Smile of Wisconsin is a school-based program that has significantly increased the use of dental sealants for children who belong to low-income families.

A dental sealant is a coating that helps prevent cavities, and keep tooth decay at an arm's length. But, a study by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) found that merely 40 per cent of kids in the age group of 6-11 years have access to dental sealants. In other words, a majority of American kids who need dental sealants don't get them.

The Children's Health Alliance's associate director Matt Crespin said, "So we are often times are in schools that have higher percentages of children that are either uninsured or insured by Medicaid, the kids that most oftentimes need this care the most because they have a difficult time accessing care and they have the highest level of disease."

Wisconsin's Seal-A-Smile program increased the number of school children with dental sealants from 47 per cent in 2002 to 51 in 2008 and to 61 per cent in 2013.

CDC is also recommending states to promote school-based dental sealant programs to expand the benefits to more and more kids. The federal agency also estimated that such programs would help save up to $300 million in dental treatment costs.