Bill expands the pool of health professionals who can perform dental screenings in schools

School districts would have more flexibility in providing state-mandated dental screenings under legislation being considered in the state House of Representatives.

What happened: The House Education Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a bill that would add public health dental hygienists, along with dentists, as dental professionals who can perform these screenings for children upon entering school. in kindergarten or first grade, as well as third and seventh. grades as required by a state law of 1945. Currently, the law allows only a dentist to perform these checks.

The bill now goes to the full House for consideration.

Why it matters: Given the importance of students having these screenings to detect dental problems, financial constraints on school districts and the shortage of dentists across Pennsylvania, the bill’s sponsors, Reps. Morgan Cephas, D-Philadelphia, and Mindy Fee, R-Lancaster County, say this would better ensure students get the care they need for their dental health and overall well-being.

The Pennsylvania Oral Health Coalition, which manages and tracks the state’s 2020-2030 oral health plan for the state health department, found that 60% of more than 4,000 third-graders screened in 2021-2022 had cavities and one in 10 had an emergency. the need for a referral due to an infection or injury to the open mouth.

What people said: “Children with poor oral health status were nearly three times more likely than their counterparts to miss school as a result of toothache,” Cephas said.

Rep. Paul Takac, D-Centre County, said many of the small, rural communities he represents don’t have a dentist but may have a hygienist, so “this expansion is much needed.”

Helen Hawkey of the Oral Health Coalition defined the problem by saying that 473 districts do not have a school hygienist on staff, so they need to find a dentist willing to provide this dental hygiene service. “Believe me, there are not enough dentists to go around right now and our research shows that our numbers will continue to decrease for the next 12 years,” Hawkey said.

Kim Bury, president-elect of the Pennsylvania Association of Dental Hygienists, said allowing public health dental hygienists to perform the exams would free up dentists to focus on more urgent dental treatment.

“(The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) estimates that more than 51 million school hours are lost each year due to dental-related illnesses,” Bury said. “Our efforts should be focused on increasing access to preventive oral health services, promoting healthy practices among children and keeping them in school.”

Jan Murphy can be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @JanMurphy.