February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, an important one to recognize for many reasons. Oral health impacts overall health and also affects how children perform and behave in school. It’s hard for a child to sit in class with a severe toothache and learn.

Developing good habits at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits help children get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums. For this to happen, children need access to high quality and affordable dental care. In 2010, only 57 percent of Kentucky children on Medicaid or the Kentucky Children Health Insurance Program received dental services. In addition, there were only 83 pediatric dentists in Kentucky.

What better way to celebrate National Children’s Dental Health Month than to register for the first meeting of the newly established Kentucky Oral Health Coalition! Register here for the Kentucky Oral Health Coalition Launch meeting on March 7, 2012 from 12:30-2:30pm at the Capital Plaza Hotel in Frankfort, Kentucky. Let’s all work together to help improve the dental health of children in Kentucky.