National Children’s Dental Health Month is observed in February. In Iowa, the Department of Public Health has the I-Smile Dental Home Initiative to help Iowa’s children receive dental services. Early preventative care helps create healthy smiles; regular dental visits should start by the age of one. Also, using fluoridated water and brushing twice a day can help prevent cavities. According to IDPH, since 2006, more than 554,000 fluoride applications and 372,000 dental sealants have been provided for children through I-Smile, and it’s estimated that these services have prevented 21,630 cavities since 2013.

Washington County Public Health’s I-Smile Dental Coordinator is Martha Hernandez. In Iowa, all children enrolling in kindergarten or ninth grade are required to have a dental screening, and Hernandez helps with these. The program also has school-based sealants and fluoride varnish.