Ky. to launch mobile dental hygiene programs

Kentucky will launch five mobile dental hygiene programs across the state after receiving grants from the Kentucky Department for Public Health to increase access and improve oral health standards.

The $160,000 one-year awards went to health departments in Jessamine County, Lawrence County, Pike County, the Lincoln Trail District Health Department, and the Purchase District Health Department to fund public health dental hygiene programs, according to a lanereport.com story.

The grants will cover a full-time dental hygienist and assistant, portable dental equipment and supplies, a transport vehicle, and transportation costs.

Gov. Steve Beshear said the lack of access to adequate dental care is "particularly bad" in Kentucky, noting that hundreds of thousands of children in the state don't see a dentist regularly and many not at all.

Beshear's recommendation of $3.3 million in additional funding for new oral health hygiene teams has been approved by the commonwealth's General Assembly.

Hygiene teams will visit local schools to provide assessments, cleaning services, fluoride varnishes, and dental sealants on permanent teeth for children at the beginning of the school year. Hygienists will work with parents to facilitate follow-up care with a local dentist.

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