Understand Dental Sealants & Preventing Tooth Decay in Kids March 4, 2016 InterCommunity Health Network Coordinated Care Organization has teamed up with community partners, including the Community Health Centers for Benton and Linn Counties and Capitol Dental Care, to organize the Regional School-Based Sealant Program. The program offers screenings, nutrition counseling, oral health education, fluoride varnish treatment, and sealant treatment to children in a school-based setting. Because the grooves on permanent molars are too small for toothbrush bristles to reach and clean properly, dental sealants are a widely recognized tool used to prevent tooth decay. It is important to have sealants placed on permanent molars as early as possible to help protect them from cavities. Primary care providers can play an important role in addressing oral disease by offering oral exams to younger patients who may be in need of sealant treatment. Currently, the program targets first and second graders (the age when permanent molars typically erupt), and focuses on schools where 40 percent or more of the students receive free and reduced lunch. The schools served during the 2015-2016 school year are listed below: Alsea Elementary School Blodgett Elementary School Cascades Elementary School Central Linn Elementary School Clemens Primary School Crestview Heights School Eddyville Charter School Foster Elementary School Garfield Elementary School Green Acres School Hamilton Creek School Hawthorne Elementary School Holley Elementary School Kings Valley Charter School Lacomb School Lincoln Elementary School Monroe Grade School Mt View Elementary School Oak Elementary School Oak Heights Elementary School Oceanlake Elementary School Periwinkle Elementary School Philomath Elementary School Sam Case Elementary School Sand Ridge Charter School (Both Lebanon and Sodaville sites) Santiam Elementary School Seven Oak Middle School South Shore Elementary School Sunrise Elementary School Sweet Home Charter School Sweet Home Jr. High School Taft Elementary School Tangent Elementary School Toledo Elementary School Waverly Elementary School Wilson Elementary School Yaquina View
