All children newly enrolling in an Iowa elementary or high school are required to have a dental screening. This requirement was passed by the 2007 legislature and became effective July 1, 2008. The purpose of the dental screening requirement is to improve the oral health of Iowa's children. Dental screenings help with early detection and treatment of dental disease; promote the importance of oral health for school readiness and learning; and contribute to statewide surveillance of oral health.
Dental screenings are provided by an integrated network of health care professionals to supplement Iowa's dental workforce. Regional I-Smile™ coordinators, serving at the "hub" of this network, partner with schools to assist students who need a screening or require follow-up dental care.
The following are highlights of the school dental screening requirement:
2010-2011 Audit Summary
According to the Iowa Department of Education, there were 81,575 students enrolled in kindergarten (42,562) and ninth grade (39,013). Useable audit data was submitted for 54,709 students, for a student compliance rate of 67.1 percent. This is an increase from the 2009-2010 rate of 60 percent. Out of the 1,312 Iowa schools with kindergarten or ninth grade students, useable audit data was submitted for 1,160 schools, for a school compliance rate of 88.4 percent.
For those schools included in the 2010-2011 audit report:
The link to the comprehensive audit report can be found in the Audit Documents section below.
Contact Information:
Program Documents:
Audit Documents:
Program Links:
