Hattie Watts kids amoung 1,100 kids provided with free dental screenings

Cavities are on the rise among young children, according to a news release from 232-HELP’s Donated Dental Program. It is a public health crisis that poses an immediate and long-term threat not just to the teeth of young children but to their overall health and development, the release stated.
To address the public health issue, 232-HELP’s Donated Dental Program launched the Children’s Dental Health Education Initiative. The program invited the Colgate Corporation’s Bright Smiles/Bright Futures children’s dental van to Acadian to help with a pilot program to screen children ages 3 through 11.
The van made a visit to Hattie Watts Elementary School in Patterson on Oct. 1.
Early childhood caries are a particularly rapid form of tooth decay, and the most common chronic early childhood disease in the United States — five times more common than asthma, the news release stated. Cavities often go untreated in children under the age of 3, according to national surveys.
The rate of tooth decay in primary teeth of children aged 2 to 5 years increased nearly 17 percent from 1988-94 to 1999-2004, the release stated. Based on most recent data, 28 percent of children aged 2 to 5 years in the entire U.S. population are affected by tooth decay. Yet, most tooth decay is preventable if children see a dentist early enough.
Through collaboration with the United Way of Acadiana, The Lafayette Parish School Board, the St. Mary School Board, the LSU Dental Hygiene Program, and volunteer dentist in the Donated Dental Program more than 1,100 children were screened aboard the dental bus between Sept. 29 through Oct. 1.
The children each received a “report card” to show their parents the state of their oral health, and a list of area dentist. The232-HELP’s Donated Dental staff will follow up with the students to make sure they are able to locate a “dental home” and begin a life time of good oral health.
Because of the overwhelming need in our community, 232-HELP will be working with Colgate to develop an annual screening event.