sealantfunding

Oral Health Coalition Fights for Sealant Funding

The New York State Oral Health Coalition, of which the Foundation is a member, has spearheaded a massive campaign to get $4
million for school-based dental programs in the state budget. New York spends no state funding for school-based dental sealant
programs. The existing funding is allocated from the federal Maternal and Child Health Block grant. Cuts in federal funding for the
block grant have resulted in a loss of $1.5 million to the school-based sealant program.

The $4 million addition would allow the development of enough sealant programs to cover all low-income children in New York
State. This is important because only 27 percent of New York third grade students have at least one dental sealant but that dismal
number drops to just 18 percent for low-income children.

Currently, fewer than 10 percent of the elementary schools in New York have a school-based dental program and these are not
distributed effectively throughout the state. In fact, children in many areas have no access to these services. For instance, only
12.2 percent of New York City’s third graders had at least one sealant while the prevalence in upstate counties ranged from 15
percent to 87 percent. In counties outside of New York City, 68 percent of third graders attending schools with a sealant program
had received at least one sealant compared to 33 percent of those in schools without a program. Among low-income students, the
comparable figures are 63 percent and 27 percent.

Fewer than 10 percent of the elementary schools in the state have a school-based preventive dental program. Resources are
needed to expand the school-based preventive dental program, especially in light of the fact that federal funding for New York in
this area was cut from $1.9 million to $900,000 in 205.

The New York State Oral Health Coalition encourages everybody who is committed to oral health to support new state funding to
expand school-based dental preventive programs. Recently, the New York State Dental Association (NYSDA) indicated its strong
support of the Coalition’s efforts with respect to this issue in a memo distributed to each member of the New York State
Legislature. In its memo, NYSDA argues: “Dental disease is the most prevalent malady afflicting the state’s children and the
amount of money needed to fund this effort is small in relationship to the benefit…NYSDA has always made a strong commitment
to improving the state’s Medicaid program and will continue to urge its 12,000 members to provide services to those who need
them the most; however, our efforts will be for naught if the state does not make a budgetary commitment to ensure that dental
sealants are readily available to our school children.”

20 Corporate Woods Blvd.
Suite 602
Albany, New York 12211
ph: 518-465-0044
fax: 518-465-3219
alt: 800-255-2100
nysdf@nysdental.org