Kidango's Head Start Brings Free Dental Care to 500 Bay Area Children

By Hillary Smith, Public and Internal Relations Manager

More than 500 infants, toddlers, and preschoolers received free preventative care dental work – including oral exams, X-rays, dental cleanings, and fluoride treatments – this fall, thanks to Kidango’s Tooth Mobile partnership.

Throughout October and November, the Bay Area’s largest childcare provider hosted “Tooth Mobile” dental site visits across 16 Kidango centers through a grant from Head Start. The federal Head Start program is designed to improve school readiness for children ages zero to five.

“We serve very marginalized communities within Head Start – whether that’s due to income level, socioeconomic status, or other factors,“ said Sheila Phan, a Kidango Head Start Health Services Coordinator. “It warms my heart that we’re able to provide these critical dental services to Kidango students.”

Kidango began providing free dental care to its students in 2007, and has since improved the oral health of thousands of Bay Area children. Kidango primarily serves low-income minority populations, groups which historically experience higher rates of oral health issues, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

For example, Non-Hispanic Black people, Hispanic people, and American Indian and Alaska Native people generally have poorer oral health compared to other U.S. racial and ethnic groups.

“Early dental assessments like these are critical to long-term health”, said dentist Dr. Prachi Mehta, who has served Kidango students since 2007 aboard the Tooth Mobile. Along with exams and physical care, Mehta and her team put a strong emphasis on informing parents how they can prevent decay and infections for their children’s teeth.

Mehta leads parent education nights for Kidango families enrolled in the Head Start program, where she shares useful tips for avoiding tooth decay and other common dental issues that can be easily incorporated into daily routines.

Kidango parent, Billy Ho, accompanied his son, Belton, 3, during his Tooth Mobile visit at Castlemont Center last month. Ho learned from a previous Tooth Mobile visit with his older son how important consistent dental checkups are. He now makes them a priority.

”When my older son first visited a Tooth Mobile, he had lots of cavities,” Ho said. “I’m not doing that again. I realized I need to be more proactive with their dental care. I would love to continue to see this Tooth Mobile service twice a year.”

Not only do prevention techniques – like proper brushing and routine exams – lead to better oral health throughout children’s lives, they can also save children from missing valuable class time. More than 34 million school hours are lost each year on average due to emergency dental care, according to the CDC.

 Though many parents could agree routine dental checkups are important and prevent costly surgeries later on, some parents do not have dental insurance and can’t afford the out of pocket expenses for cleanings or fillings.

Free mobile clinics like the Tooth Mobile ensure children whose parents can’t afford out of pocket expenses for important preventative care can still be served.

”These are children who really need it,” Dr. Mehta said of the Kidango students she serves. “They have nowhere else to go and the families don’t always have the resources. We’re bridging that gap.”

To support services like Kidango’s Tooth Mobile visits, donate or learn how to get involved here.