Dental Screening

The Oral Health Program recommends annual dental screening for every child in Missouri, to prevent pain and suffering due to dental problems and to encourage early dental treatment. While dental professionals should conduct dental screenings, school nurses can be trained to do screenings if dental professionals are not available.

A dental screening does not take the place of an annual/bi-annual examination by the dentist and no x-rays are taken. A dental screening is an inspection of the mouth to see if there are any oral/dental problems. The most common problems that children have are dental decay, gum disease, and improper tooth eruption.

The Oral Health Program provides technical assistance to establish/conduct dental screening programs within schools, Head Starts, and other organizations interested in children’s oral health. The suggested screening methodology is the Basic Screening Survey as prescribed by the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD).

Schools that conduct dental screenings are encouraged to send the aggregate results to the Oral Health Program to facilitate the calculation of statewide screening estimates.