Winter 2010 TAKE5 Newsmagazine: Oral Health
Fall 2009 TAKE5 Newsmagazine: Early Literacy
Summer 2009 TAKE5 Newsmagazine: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Prevention
Spring 2009 TTAKE5 Newsmagazine: Childhood Obesity Prevention
Winter 2009 TAKE5 Newsmagazine: School Readiness
Fall 2008 TAKE5 Newsmagazine: Court System

Message from Executive Director, Jolene Smith

Dental care is an absolute necessity. Teaching children proper dental hygiene habits early in life and providing them with access to high quality dental care will prepare them for a lifetime of good oral health.

Research shows that oral health care is essential for good overall health. Despite the great strides that we have made toward improving oral health and preventing disease, this continues to be the most common unmet health need, especially amongst our youngest children.

We know that poor oral health impacts the physical and cognitive development of young children, which in turn has a negative impact on a child’s readiness for school. In fact, according to The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, when compared with children from higher income families, children from low-income families, without insurance or access to regular dental care, miss twelve times as many school days.

FIRST 5 Santa Clara County helps maintain and improve the oral health of children in our county by funding programs like Healthy Kids, a low- or no-cost health insurance program for children ages 0-5 years. FIRST 5 also supports other cost-effective ways to prevent oral disease such as the Health Mobile, dental clinics, and The Health Trust’s campaign for community water fluoridation. Water fluoridation is a simple, safe, and inexpensive public health prevention that contributes towards a remarkable decline in tooth decay. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “the prevention of tooth decay through community water fluoridation is recognized as one of ten great achievements in public health of the 20th century.”

Prevention of tooth decay and access to high quality dental care is the key to improving the oral health of our children. FIRST 5 is committed to working collaboratively with community partners to promote effective programs and strategies toward prevention and early dental treatment. Together, we are making a difference!