The Development and Implementation of a School‐Based Dental Sealant Program for Hawaii Public Schools*

Abstract

ABSTRACTBACKGROUNDSchool‐based dental sealant programs are noted to increase sealant uptake among children, especially those from low‐income families and those living in rural and underserved areas. However, nationally school‐based dental sealant programs are substantially underutilized. This paper describes a partnership approach to a school‐based dental sealant program for Title 1 public schools in Hawaii.METHODSThe Hawaii Keiki: Healthy and Ready to Learn program partnered with the Hawaii Dental Service to develop and implement an interprofessional, school‐based sealant program (SBSP). This article describes the development of key factors, such as partnerships, an interprofessional team, team roles, policies, and marketing tools to optimize program success.RESULTSThe SBSP has completed over 3 academic years of implementation in Hawaii public schools. In its initial year (school year [SY] 2019‐2020), which presented challenges due to the COVID‐19 pandemic, it served 6 schools (106 students screened) on 1 island. It expanded to 14 schools on 1 island (193 students screened) in its second year (SY 2020‐2021), 28 schools on 3 islands (653 students screened) in its third year (SY 2021‐2022), and during the Fall of the fourth year, the program reached 50 schools on 3 islands (1821 students screened) and is projected to reach over 70 schools by the end of SY 2022‐2023.CONCLUSIONTaking advantage of strategic partnerships and key interprofessional team members, a school‐based dental sealant program can help to improve the oral health of children in public schools by helping to decrease barriers to care.