Brush and Clean in Between to Build a Healthy Smile!

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month 

Did you know that the number ONE unmet health care need among Ohio children is proper access to dental care? In fact, twenty-three percent (23%) of Ohio Pre-Schoolers have already experienced at least one cavity. 
(Source: 2016-17 Survey of Preschool-Age Children Ohio Department of Health)
Health Centers across the state are committed to comprehensive, whole-person care, including comprehensive oral health care. Axesspointe Community Health Centers in Portage and Summit Counties joined many of Community Health Centers in hosting “Give Kids a Smile” events.    

Give Kids A Smile (GKAS) is a year-round children’s access to care and oral health education program. Dentists and dental professionals volunteer their time to provide screenings, treatments and oral health education to Ohio children. In 16 years of GKAS, Ohio dental volunteers have provided nearly $14.5 million of dental care to over 270,000 underserved children.  More than $942,000 in care was provided at no cost to 19,700 children in Ohio in 2018!  

Children’s oral health has been a priority of Ohio’s Community Health Centers for more than a decade. The ECOH Initiative enables access and integrates oral health screenings as a standard of care during well-child checks for children nine to thirty-six months of age within community health centers in Ohio. Learn more about the ECHO Initiative.

Healthier mouths mean healthier people. Healthier people mean stronger communities. During this year’s National Children’s Dental Health Month, let’s all “Brush and Clean in Between to Build a Healthy Smile!”

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