School Health Plans to Be Reviewed

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion Tuesday directing health department officials to return next month with a report identifying and possibly expanding dental, vision and hearing services at public and private schools.

The board’s action came a week after a U.S. surgeon general report showed that children in California have more than twice as much tooth decay as kids nationwide.

The report also noted that 70% of the state’s population doesn’t have fluoridated tap water. Poor oral hygiene can cause gum disease and major infections, warned the nation’s top health inspector.

“Dental-related illnesses are the single most common childhood disease and are responsible for children losing over 50 million hours of schooling each year,” said Supervisor Mike Antonovich. Karen Maiorca, director of nursing for the Los Angeles Unified School District, said the number of children with dental problems is “tremendous.” Unlike hearing and vision screenings that are mandated every three years by the state, dental checkups aren’t required, she added.

“A lot of kids are coming into our district with pretty poor dental health,” she said. “There aren’t a lot of resources for dental care, and the costs are usually quite expensive. Dental care is one of the most neglected areas [of children’s health].”

The health department also hopes to identify doctors and dentists interested in providing pro bono work at public and private schools. Given the limited resources, finding assistance will be vital to improving kids’ health, said Antonovich’s health deputy, Kathryn Barger.

“We found there are doctors willing to go into schools once every month for screenings,” she said. “We have to start a wave of getting services into the schools.”