Dental sealants to be offered to elementary students

The Jasper School District will be making dental sealants available to elementary school students during March, said Angel Kitchen, R.N., Oark School nurse and the chair of the school district's Wellness Committee.
Kitchen, who is also a member of the Newton County Hometown Health Coalition, announced at the December meeting that dental sealant clinics have been set at Jasper Elementary School on March 14, Oark Elementary School on March 17 and Kingston Elementary School on March 20. These clinics will be for third and fourth graders having parental consent.
Dental sealants are thin, protective coatings that shield the chewing surfaces of your back teeth from harmful, cavity-causing bacteria.

Boston Mountain Rural Health Center through the school based health center at Jasper has been providing dental health programs. It conducted presentations at each of the elementary schools last year and provided toothbrushes and toothpaste to each student.
According to information, the district's Wellness Committee does not oppose doing this again. Cristan Martin, the school based center coordinator said she could touch base with BMRHC to see if they would be interested in doing presentations again.