USC Family Fun Dental Fair Helps Parents Meet Mandatory Requirement Of New State Law

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 19 Sep 2008 - 4:00 PDT


USC Family Fun Dental Fair starts off the school year with healthier smiles by providing free oral screenings as part of the 2nd Annual Family Fun Dental Fair on Saturday, September 20. California state law says parents are required to provide proof that their child has had a dental check up by May 31st of the first year in kindergarten or first grade. The School of Dentistry will open its doors to members of the community and assist parents in meeting the requirements of the new legislation. AB1433 is an important step in targeting a major children¹s health crisis plaguing California.

A study released last year by the Dental Health Foundation found that dental disease outpaces asthma, childhood diabetes and even obesity as the state¹s primary health problem affecting children. According to the report, one third of the state¹s third-graders have a history of tooth decay, with some 750,000 children sitting in classrooms across the state with untreated dental disease. Four percent of the state¹s elementary school children, or about 138,000 kids, are suffering from tooth pain or have an untreated infection. These infections can be serious; in February 2007, twelve-year-old Deamonte Driver from Maryland lost his life after developing a serious infection in his brain caused by an abscessed tooth.

School aged children, age five to 17, miss nearly 2 million schools days nationwide every year due to dental health problems, says Roseann Mulligan, associate dean for USC School of Dentistry¹s community health programs.

The California Dental Association sponsored AB1433. Jennifer Holtzman, a USCSD faculty member and director of the school¹s Neighborhood Mobile Clinic, worked with other members of the CDA in creating the grassroots efforts that led to the CDA championing this effort. Other states including Illinois, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Georgia have similar laws in place. The new law has three goals: to raise awareness of the importance of children¹s oral health, connect children with a regular source of dental care and to identify barriers to receiving care and use that information to seek legislative and funding solutions.

On Saturday, the dental school will be transformed from a clinic into a fun learning environment for the children and their families taking advantage of the free dental screenings and interactive activities outdoors. Children will be treated to a free book, toys, a petting zoo and visit with the tooth fairy.

The USC School of Dentistry has a long history of community outreach and service. Since 2000, more than 300,000 children and adults have received oral care services offered through its community outreach programs across the state.

The second Annual Family Fun Dental Fair will be held on Saturday, September 20-th from 10am to 2 pm at 925 W. 34-Th Street in Los Angeles. Free Parking will be available for families at Gate 8 located near the intersection of Jefferson and Vermont.

USC School of Dentistry

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