While area schools are preparing to welcome students back to the classroom, Prairie Dental Group is excited to welcome Dr. Angel Shah to the practice. Dr. Shah, along with Drs Tanya DeSanto, Julie Nathanson, and Elizabeth Knoedler, are ready to help you complete your child’s mandatory dental exam for school.
If you have a child entering kindergarten, second, or sixth grade, the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Public Health requires the child to have an oral health examination. Illinois started to require these exams in 2005 on students in public, private, and parochial schools. A licensed dentist must perform the exam. At the exam, the dentist will fill out a form that must be submitted to the school by May 15th of that school year. The exam must be completed within 18 months prior to the May 15th deadline of that school year. If the child fails to show proof of the exam, the school can hold the child’s report card until the exam is completed, the child presents a dental examination waiver form, or the child presents proof that a dental examination will take place within 60 days after May 15th.
The State Board of Education drafted the form that must be completed and returned to the school. This form allows the state to gather uniform information regarding the presence of dental sealants, history of previous dental treatment, the need for current dental treatment, pathology, and malocclusion.
Exams on children in kindergarten, second, and sixth grade are relative to erupting permanent molars. This is the perfect opportunity to obtain preventative care, such as dental sealants (which help protect the biting surface of the permanent molars from forming cavities). Prior to these mandatory exams, it was very common for a child’s dental needs to go undetected until the child was in extreme pain. By doing the exams at these crucial developmental ages– the goal is to keep the child healthy and prevent dental issues from interfering with their ability to focus in the classroom or missing school.
Although it’s not a state requirement, it’s a good idea to start the school year with a properly fitted sports mouth guard. Dental injuries are very common in sports. Custom fitted sports mouth guards will provide your child with superior protection compared to the over the counter counter (one size fits all option.)
Jennifer Musselman, RDH at Prairie Dental Group
