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Impact Story

School-Based Oral Health Initiative Expansion

Fighting Cavities Early

Oral health drives overall well-being, but cavities are the most common health issue among children in South Carolina — and children in rural areas or from low-income families are much more likely to have untreated cavities. 

About the Organization

Cavities, or dental caries, can cause pain and irritation, making it difficult for kids to sleep, eat, speak or focus. This can lead to immediate struggles in school. Long-term, untreated oral diseases are linked to chronic health conditions from diabetes to heart disease and respiratory illnesses. The BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation partnered with the Duke Endowment and the BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina Foundation to launch the School-Based Oral Health Initiative (SBOHI) in 2019 to address these issues. It placed school-based dental clinics in rural and underserved parts of the Carolinas, reaching strategically-at-risk children where they are: in school.

Program Goals

The SBOHI has already seen great success in South Carolina, but data showed that many kindergartners already had cavities by the time they had their first clinic visit. The latest grant will add dental services to Head Start programs, which provide key health care services to children ages 3-5. Expanding to Head Start allows SBOHI to help kids in crucial years before they enter school, helping to provide preventative care and stop dental issues before they even start. It will also enable SBOHI to take advantage of Head Start's geographic reach to reduce oral health disparities.

Nearly half of the state's children suffer from cavities and tooth decay.

Results

Since 2019, SBOHI has reached 76 schools in 12 South Carolina and served 2,364 South Carolinian children with:

  • 10,948 dental exams
  • 29.231 preventative services
  • 7,043 treatment services.

With this expansion to Head Start, SBOHI aims to ensure kids are cavity-free when they enter school, deliver oral health education to families, and collect data to further expand efforts.