Information for Schools

The school-based Cavity Free AZ Sealant Program is a public health service provided by the Arizona Department of Health Services Opens a New Window.  in partnership with Maricopa County Department of Public Health's Office of Oral Health.

Importance of School-Based Oral Health Programs

• Tooth Decay is the most common chronic childhood disease
• 5 times more common than asthma
• 7 times more common than hay fever
• 52 million school hours missed annually because of oral problems

Preventative Program

Thank you for your interest/participation in this no-cost, preventive program. If your school is on the eligibility list and has submitted an application to participate for the current school year, you will receive Parent Permission Forms for each 2nd and 6th grade student. Please contact the program coordinator ASAP to schedule the Oral Health Education Presentations so that the forms can be passed out. Allow students one week to return the signed consent form to their teacher or health office.

• We will follow up with your Health Office for the number of positively signed forms returned. We need a minimum of 25 forms to schedule a licensed dental professional to provide screenings at your school.
• Hopefully you will have great participation! As the County Health Department, we screen these children to determine dental needs, especially for the uninsured.
• Children who return a signed form are screened by a licensed dental provider. No x-rays are necessary. The dental provider will screen the children's teeth to determine need for sealants and identify other dental conditions.
• Children screened will receive a "Screening Results" form and a referral list of dental clinics to take home to their parents. Children with private dental insurance can still be screened and will get the results to take home to their parents but will be referred to their own dentist for sealant treatment.