The Children's Dental Health Project (CDHP) is convening a national sealant work group to provide recommendations for the design and operations of school sealant programs.
The aim of the group is to help school programs expand to reach more children who are at high risk of caries. The group's recommendations will be released in fall 2016.
Public health experts endorse school sealant programs because the evidence shows they achieve a "large reduction" in caries, according to the CDHP.
The programs face a variety of challenges -- from financial sustainability to data collection. The 13 members of the group will examine these challenges and develop recommendations to help sealant programs reach more high-risk children.
The sealant work group project, Achieving the Triple Aim in School-based Sealant Programs, is funded by the American Dental Hygienists' Association/Institute for Oral Health, Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation, Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation, Future Smiles, Oral Health America, and the Washington Dental Service Foundation.
