Public health departments offer free dental screenings

The Henry and Washington County public health departments will be offering free dental screenings for students preparing to enter kindergarten and ninth grade.

Through the I-Smile program, each department will be holding two clinic days each. The program began offering the screenings last year.

Local program coordinator Martha Hernandez, who helps organize the clinics, said the state requires students to complete a dental screening before heading back to school.

With the coronavirus pandemic and closure of many dental offices, the public health departments decided to add an extra clinic day to help families who may be struggling to get seen before classes restart.

'With the closures, some offices are scheduling months out,” Hernandez said.

The program coordinator said the screenings are important because, outside of being required, it allows the program to touch base with parents about their children's dental health and identify any emergency issues. The program can also help families find and get connected to dentists, which are helpful for those facing insurance issues.

'In Henry County, there's no dentist that accepts new Medicaid clients and that can be challenging,” Hernandez said.

With the pandemic, Hernandez said she's not quite sure how many families will show up but is expecting a good group.

Kelly Carr, community outreach coordinator for Henry County Public Health, said there was a good response to the clinics last year, which was why the department decided to host them again.

'It's a little up in the air, but we expect people to come. We're taking extra precautions, but we hope to see a lot of people. Again, with the pandemic, we just don't know,” Hernandez added.

Dental screening clinics at Henry County Public Health will take place Thursday from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., and Aug. 20 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Washington County will host its clinics on Aug. 13 and Aug. 19 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Families are asked to bring only students who require services.

Families are encouraged to wear a cloth face mask during the visit and to practice social distancing while inside the buildings.