Health Department

School – Based Dental Preventative Services

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KCHD's focus is to keep the Knox County community healthy, especially the kids! In partnership with Knox County Schools and with the consent from parents, we are able to go into schools and place sealants on children's teeth, give oral hygiene education, dental screenings and referrals to private dentists as appropriate.

These services are offered free of charge to all children in grades K - 8 at selected schools.

Schools with Title 1 eligibility are selected to receive preventive dental services offered by the School-based Dental Prevention Program. Click here for a list of 2023-2024 Target Schools.

All children in these schools will also receive dental education on daily brushing, oral hygiene, nutrition, and dental sealants. They will be given a bag of dental supplies (toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss) to begin practicing good oral hygiene habits at home. See below for some fast facts about children's dental health.

• 51 million hours of school absences are due to tooth pain.
• 1 in 5 children have untreated cavities.
• 520 million children suffer from cavities in baby teeth worldwide.
• Once applied, sealants protect against 80 percent of cavities for two years and continue to protect against 50 percent of cavities for up to four years.
• Children ages 6-11 years old without sealants have almost three times more first molar cavities than children with sealants.

Additional Resources

Consent Forms

Please complete this form to help your child have healthy teeth! 

• Consent Form in English
• Consent Form in Spanish

Letter of Support

Click here to view an endorsement letter from Superintendent Dr. Jon Rysewyk

Learn more about Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) 

Click here to learn more about SDF and the benefits it provides for your child.