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The plastic sealants are painted on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth in the form of a white liquid. This substance then hardens, preventing decay from forming in the crevices and grooves of the teeth, where 80 to 90 percent of dental caries (decay) occur.

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LEXINGTON, KY (1997)--Children in 29 Kentucky counties will be less likely to get cavities in the future thanks to a new program recently kicked-off by the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry.

Mt. Vernon Elementary School in Benton, Kentucky, was the first school to benefit from the
official initiation of the Seal Kentucky Program, which provides elementary school-aged children with free dental sealants. The E.O. Robinson Trust funds the program, which is administered through the UK College of Dentistry throughout 29 counties in the Robinson Forest.

Seal Kentucky synergizes the expertise of UK dental care professionals and community dentists to apply dental sealants.

"We’re very fortunate to have dentists in these communities that are willing to take time out of their busy practices, keep paying their staffs, and treat patients at no charge" said Raynor Mullins, DMD, and project director of the Seal Kentucky Program. "Most everyone involved is donating their time to ensure the dental health of these children."

The plastic sealants are painted on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth in the form of a white liquid. This substance then hardens, preventing decay from forming in the crevices and grooves of the teeth, where 80 to 90 percent of dental caries (decay) occur.

Mullins says that although fluoride treatment has been beneficial in reducing numbers of dental caries, the crevices of the teeth don’t benefit from the protective effects of fluoride. Dental sealants, on the other hand, are targeted specifically to this area and have the potential to cause more dramatic reductions in the incidence of dental carries.

In 1989, less than 11 percent of American children had benefited from the highly effective advantage of dental sealants. In Kentucky, in the 1987 Oral Health Survey, only 7.6 percent
of the children in the sample had received at least one sealant. Lower income children are only half as likely to have received sealants -- a particular concern since these are the very children who are least likely to receive treatment when dental caries occur.

Mullins says in addition to the dental sealants provided by the Seal Kentucky Program, children also will receive dental screenings, oral health education and science demonstrations.

By Mary Margaret Colliver