February is a time devoted to young smiles. It’s National Children’s Dental Health Month, which highlights the importance of oral health at a young age.
For April Brown, the dental hygienist for the Henderson County Department of Public Health, children’s dental health is a top priority. As part of her job, Brown checks the teeth of kindergarteners and third-graders in all the county’s elementary schools. She looks for untreated decay, broken teeth, infections, and other dental issues.
Brown also teaches children about proper dental care using fun lessons and activities.
“It’s important when kids are younger that we talk to them about proper oral healthcare,” Brown said. “I like to talk to the kids about why we need our teeth, what we need them for and then go into how to take care of them.”
Why children’s oral health matters
In North Carolina, nearly one in five kindergartners have untreated tooth decay, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. In Henderson County this year, Brown found that 15.1% of kindergarteners and 13.7% of third-graders had untreated tooth decay.