CLAYTON-- As part of the North Carolina Oral Health Section's continuing efforts to provide preventive services to school children, dental hygienists from the Oral Health Section will be conducting a sealant project at Cooper Elementary from March 17-23 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day. A sealant project involves providing dental sealants for a limited number of children, as well as preventive educational activities for teachers and their students. Dental sealants are thin plastic coatings placed on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth to prevent tooth decay. Students are identified by a dentist prior to the project to determine if they would benefit from the placement of sealants. Dr. Ted Rogers of Clayton will be providing exams. Students who receive dental sealants must meet financial eligibility requirements and have parent or guardian permission. For this sealant project, a public health dental team from the NC OHS will set up a portable "dental office" at Cooper Elementary in order to provide dental sealants for children. As a preventive measure, dental sealants are underutilized in NC. One NC OHS goal is for 50 percent of school children to have dental sealants. According to the NC OHS 2003-2004 Assessment Data, only 41 percent of fifth grade students had dental sealants on their teeth. In Johnston County, 37 percent of students had dental sealants on their teeth. The application of sealants only takes a few minutes, is painless to the child, and provides the child with protection during the most cavity-prone years. When combining brushing, flossing, drinking fluoridated water and dental sealants, children have the potential to be cavity-free adults.
