In 2005, Iowa Legislature passed a Medicaid reform initiative called "IowaCare," which included the mandate that: " By July 1, 2008, every recipient of medical assistance who is a child twelve years of age or younger shall have a designated dental home and shall be provided with the dental screenings and preventive care identified in the oral health standards under the early and periodic screening, diagnostic, and treatment program." The state-wide I-Smile(TM) Dental Home Project was created to fulfill the dental home mandate. Locally, I-Smile(TM) has facilitated 7,267 oral health screenings and 6,404 fluoride varnish applications in FY2011 and has worked to assure that all children establish a dental home by age 1. The I-Smile(TM) program also assists schools with the implementation of the School Dental Screening law, introduced in 2008.
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School-Based Dental Sealant Program provides dental screenings, sealants, and fluoride varnish applications among 1st-8th grade students eligible in Waterloo, Independence, and Cedar Falls schools. During the 2011-2012 school year, oral screenings were provided for 3,289 children, and a total of 9,538 sealants and
2,638 fluoride varnish applications were performed.
School-based Dental Sealant Program