The Foundation for Children's Dental Health

What We Do

Dental Screenings - The FCDH Executive Director and volunteer dentists visit various schools in the Santa Clarita Valley to provide free dental screenings to students. In order to participate, the child must return a signed consent form. The purpose of the screening is to provide parents with the status of the child's dental condition and identify children in very urgent or moderately urgent need of dental care. Those screenings are then categorized (in order of severity) to offer services through our annual Children's Dental Clinic. Every child screened receives a toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss. Screenings are typically scheduled in the morning hours during the school week. The FCDH works very closely with the school district nurse to provide this valuable service.

Children's Dental Clinic - Once or twice a year the Foundation hosts a dental clinic for low income children through kindergarten - 12^th grade. Basic dental care such as x-rays, cleanings, fluoride, fillings, crowns, extractions and pulpotomies (baby tooth root canals) are provided to children who have been pre-identified through Foundation sponsored screenings or referred by a local school. Local dentists team up with the Foundation to provide this valuable service.

Oral Hygiene Education - FCDH strongly believes in being proactive in order to combat dental health problems before they become serious! Therefore, FCDH provides oral hygiene education at local elementary schools, social service agencies, parent meetings and local health fairs at no cost. The purpose of this program is to educate children and their parents on the importance of good oral hygiene habits. Presentations are offered in Spanish and English and last approximately 20 minutes. Topics include oral hygiene, nutrition, first time visit to the dentist, and baby bottle tooth decay (for parent presentation). Every participant receives a toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss to reinforce and encourage good oral hygiene.

Emergency Services Referral Network - The FCDH partners with local dentists who assist in providing dental treatment to children who are suffering from a dental emergency (abscess, pain, bleeding). Treatment provided is to ease pain and stabilize their condition. If the child is in need of further care, he/she will be included in the upcoming Dental Clinic. If possible, resources are provided to the parent on where to obtain care at a reduced rate or on programs such as Healthy Families, Medi-cal, etc.

“Healthy Smiles” - This is a new program for the foundation and was launched in September 2007. Healthy Smiles is a Fluoride Varnish Treatment Program for preschoolers enrolled in local state funded preschools. The FCDH has received funding from Kaiser Permanente, City of Santa Clarita and The Zonta Foundation to launch this very successful program. The purpose is to provide preventive care to preschoolers and address early childhood decay. This program includes; screening, referral, education and fluoride application. FCDH staff and volunteer dentists visit local preschools on scheduled dates to screen, instruct and apply fluoride varnish. If further care is needed, resources will be provided to the parent on where to obtain care at a reduced rate or on programs such as Healthy Families, Medi-cal, etc.

Follow Up Care Clinic - This clinic is a 6-month follow up clinic for children who participated in the most recent Mobile Dental Clinic. The purpose is to ensure children continue to care for their teeth and are practicing good oral hygiene habits. This is a collaborative effort between the FCDH and local dentists who donate their time and space. The follow up clinic takes place on 2 identified Saturdays. The first Saturday is dedicated to "screen and clean" teeth, and the second Saturday is for children who require additional treatment. In June 2007, we had our first follow up clinic, with the help of 5 local dentists we provided 40 children with routine dental care!

Through these various programs we have been successful in reaching over 61,000 local children.