CARIBOU, Maine — Hilltop Elementary School students were the most recent round of Aroostook County second-graders stepping up to the dentist’s chair for a small procedure that will hopefully keep their mouths decay-free for the next five to 10 years.
State-funded through a grant and managed for Aroostook County through ACAP, professionals tour the region’s schools to offer second-graders six-year molar dental seals and fluoride varnishing free of charge to keep teeth strong throughout their school years.
Registered Dental Hygienist Lucy Morin with ACAP explained that the protective coating placed on their permanent molars plays a very important role in maintaining healthy mouths.
“A tooth without a sealant has many grooves, pits and fissures, and so a toothbrush can’t reach into those areas. If a toothbrush can’t reach those areas, plaque will remain in those grooves and potentially decay,” Morin described, explaining that sealant goes into the grooves and protects the teeth from getting decay.
Done outside the school, the same sealant procedure can cost upwards $40 to $50 per tooth.
“It’s important for the kids to get sealant and then maintain that sealant until they’re at least past college age because those are their most decay-prone years,” the dental hygienist said.
Teeth naturally grind down over the years through the act of talking and eating, but the sealant puts a protective coating over all four six-year molars to protect them from decay when they’re the most vulnerable.
“After that, as an adult [the sealants] wear thin and they don’t tend to replace them,” Morin added.
Second-graders are chosen for the program “because that’s generally when the six-year molars are in and ready to be sealed,” explained Community Education Specialist Crystal Cummings.
“Not only do we do the dental sealants for the second-graders, and they’re also offered for third-graders who didn’t receive it the year before,” Cummings said.
The dental health professionals also provide re-checks for third-graders during the school visits to make sure the sealant stays in place — and if they didn’t, the dental hygienists will reseal the molars.
In addition to the sealants, fluoride varnish can also be applied to students’ teeth for additional dental benefit.
An added bonus for the fluoride and sealant — dental professionals get a good look in students’ mouths to check for any decay or abscesses, both of which need to be remedied as early as possible.
“It’s very important for students to be seen for any decay and have any abscess checked up on because that can affect the rest of their body in different aspects — and that could even be fatal,” said nurse Addy Beck-Bell.
The program tends to have a decent participation rate, which Cummings estimated to be between 60 and 75 percent, but numbers are up even more this year.
Participation is open to every second-grade student in The County — insured, uninsured, and spanning all income levels — so long as the student returns the permission slip with a parent or guardian’s signature.
“It’s a big preventative service,” summarized Susan Sager, RDH at Academy Dental in Presque Isle. “The sealant, the fluoride, we tell children to brush and floss and encourage them to eat healthy snacks — it’s all about prevention and trying to reach the kids when they’re young.”
Depending on the number of students signed up to participate, it can take the dental health officials anywhere from a day to a week per school.
“Houlton this year was going to take five or six days,” Cummings commented. “Caribou, Presque Isle, Fort Kent and Houlton usually take us anywhere from three to five days.”