School and Adolescent Oral Health Committee

ASTDD's School and Adolescent Oral Health (SAOH) Committee's mission is to promote the importance of good oral health practices that improve the oral health of school-age children and adolescents through education, networking, and collaborative partnerships at local, state and national levels. The committee serves as a resource to state oral health programs and others and works to ensure a strong oral health component in all school and adolescent health initiatives.

Committee Members

SAOH Committee Logic Model

SAOH Committee Work Plan

ASTDD Policy Statements

Integrating Oral Health into School Health Education Curricula Using the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child School Health Model (December 2024)
Promoting Good Nutrition and Healthy Eating in Schools (January 2021)
School Dental Sealant Programs (November 2017)

ASTDD Best Practice Approach Reports

ASTDD Best Practices Approach Report: Improving Children's Oral Health through the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Model (March 2017)
ASTDD's Best Practices Approach Report: School-Based Dental Sealant Programs (updated October 2022)
ASTDD, the CareQuest Institute, and the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC) presented a webinar on the updated School-Based Dental Sealant Program Best Practice Approach Report. The expert panel shared insights from the report and offered practical guidance for building and improving a program to promote children's oral health. (February 2023)

School Oral Health Program Resources

ASTDD Dental Sealant Resources Webpage
Mobile and Portable School-Based/School-Linked Oral Health Programs: Delivery Models to Expand Care for Children and Adolescents Issue Brief - This Issue Brief addresses a range of issues, such as workforce, funding, equipment, program planning, state regulations, teledentistry, and continuity of care, to consider when establishing oral health programs for preschool and school-age children. The Appendix includes a planning checklist for implementing a program and questions for planners prior to engaging with community partners. (August 2023)
The School Oral Health Playbook guides individuals and communities to help improve oral health services and outcomes for the school-age population. It provides links to school oral health strategies, champions, models, resources, and programs. The Playbook meets you where you are and assists you on your journey to improve the oral health of school-age children. (2020)
State Dental Screening Laws for Children: Examining the Trend and Impact (January 2019)

State Resources

Colorado's School-based Oral Health Infographic - The Colorado Oral Health Unit created a one-page infographic for their program's newsletter to promote school-based oral health that includes school sealant information. Colorado Prevention Services Division. (October 2022)
Missouri's Oral Health Guide for Caregivers of School-Aged Children - This booklet is designed to aid school nurses and others who work with school-aged children in the effective treatment of minor dental emergencies. Although first aid procedures should provide temporary relief, they cannot always solve the dental problem. Please consult with a dentist as soon as possible. (June 2022)
Oregon's Oral Health Toolkit for School Based Health Centers (SBHCs) - This toolkit provides Oregon SBHCs with various kinds of resources aimed at: connecting clients with existing oral health services in their area, integrating oral health services into their SBHCs and schools as well as different types of publications around childhood/young adulthood oral health and oral health services in school settings. It was developed by the Oregon Oral Health Coalition's K-12 Committee, which is committed to increasing in-school access to oral health services, advance education outcomes, increase school attendance and improve the overall health and wellness for Oregon's K-12 population.

Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Oral Health Toolkit

This toolkit contains resources to assist in integrating oral health into the WSCC model. It is useful for oral health programs, school nurses and other health professionals, teachers and school administrators, community health workers, parents and others who are interested in promoting oral health in the school-setting following a model that addresses the whole child and whose goal is to improve learning and health among school-age children.

Websites