Submitted by San Juan County

San Juan County Health and Community Services will be providing “Smile Checks” as part of an oral health prevention program. Healthy teeth are part of overall health and wellness. In partnership with the North Sound Accountable Communities of Health Local Impact Network and the Community Health Center of Snohomish County, San Juan County is working on a school-based preventive dental program to decrease dental disease in school-age children.

San Juan County Health and Community Services will provide Smile Checks and oral health education to each school district on the following dates:

Jan. 20 at the Orcas Island School District

Jan. 25 at the Lopez Island School District

Feb. 1 and 8 at the San Juan Island School District

Smile Checks are a quick, one-minute look-in-the-mouth to check for cavities, infections, and the need for preventive dental services. Families that do NOT want their child to receive a free screening should contact their school nurse to sign the opt-out form. Findings will be reported to families along with treatment referral information. A special thanks to Orcas Island Community Foundation, who provided funding to send home a toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss for every child screened on Orcas.

We are pleased to announce that the Community Health Center of Snohomish County and their school-based sealant team are coming to San Juan County to provide dental hygiene services, including sealants. They will host virtual oral health presentations for parents and caregivers in English (Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 6 p.m.) and Spanish (Thursday, Feb. 9 at 6 p.m.), addressing topics such as:

Why is oral health important to overall health?

How do you take care of your teeth and prevent cavities and gum disease?

What are sealants and why are they so beneficial in preventing cavities?

How do school-based sealant programs work?

Q&A time

A consent form will be sent out for any families who would like their child to receive treatment through the school-based sealant program. The dates scheduled for school-based sealant services are:

Wednesday, April 5 through Friday, April 7 on San Juan Island

Monday, April 24 through Wednesday, April 26 on Orcas Island

Thursday, April 27 and Friday, April 28 on Lopez Island

Contact: Kristen Rezabek, Health and Nutrition Coordinator, kristenr@sanjuanco.com, 360-370-7518