The California Dental Association (CDA) is recognizing the top California school districts for their ongoing efforts to support the state's Children's Oral Health Assessment law to ensure that children's oral health needs are being met.
Some 64 California school districts have collected data annually since the dental checkup program began in 2006. The top-performing districts include Sierra Plumas Unified, San Francisco Unified, and Plumas Unified.
These districts consistently make oral health a priority by obtaining and reporting the dental checkup data required by law every year, according to the CDA.
"It is important to understand the relationship between children's oral health and their readiness to learn in school," said CDA President Andrew Soderstrom, DDS, a pediatric dentist. "We appreciate the efforts made by these school districts to ensure their students maintain good oral health; it provides them with the opportunity to learn and perform at their full potential."
California children miss an estimated 874,000 school days annually due to dental problems that cost local school districts approximately $28.8 million.
California law requires children to have a dental checkup by May 31 of their first year of enrollment in a public school.
