SEAL Indiana, a project of the Indiana University School of Dentistry, recently provided preventative treatment to children in the Kosciusko County Head Start.
Final year Indiana University dental students saw approximately 35 of 175 children enrolled in Cardinal Services’ Head Start programs Oct. 20.
SEAL is a statewide mobile dental program that provides preventative oral health services for children who do not have adequate access to dental care.
The non-profit program began in 2003 and provides services including: dental sealants, examinations and x-rays. The exam also included a fluoride varnish, which according to the children, “tasted like apples.”
Federal Head Start guidelines require each local program to administer dental checkups to children every year. According to Cardinal Services’ Head Start Director Lynne Dittman, SEAL is the only way some local children could receive dental care, since there is no dental office in Kosciusko County that accepts Medicaid.
Many Head Start families, who are either at or below the poverty level, depend on Medicaid for their primary health care needs.
Those families with qualifying income and no dental coverage are eligible for a sliding fee based on their stated income. However, no child is denied care because of lack of ability to pay.
