The L.A. Trust takes action in Children’s Dental Health Month

Los Angeles School Board Member Scott Schmerelson and The L.A. Trust’s Tooth Fairy  Maryjane Puffer brought brushes, toothpaste and healthcare info to Columbus Middle School February 10.

The Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health launched a public oral health awareness campaign and distributed 58,000 toothbrushes plus other oral care items in observance of National Children’s Dental Health Month in February.

“Poor oral health is the number one cause of school absenteeism – and it’s entirely preventable,” said Maryjane Puffer, executive director of The L.A. Trust. Screenings of 3,399 elementary school students in Los Angeles found that 66% of children had active dental disease, 27% had visible tooth decay and 6% required emergency care.

Puffer said The L.A. Trust is working closely with its partners in the oral health community, including L.A. Unified Student Health and Human Services, LAUSD’s Beyond the Bell division, UCLA’s More LA Smiles, the L.A. County Department of Public Health and other agencies, foundations and dental care providers. Puffer gave special thanks to Crest, which provided toothpaste to go with the thousand of brushes being distributed.

Prevention campaign

Los Angeles School Board member Scott Schmerelson took The L.A. Trust’s Brushing with Billy campaign direct to kids during an online Local District “Twinkle Time” February 3, using the puppet to show young students how to brush, floss and eat right.

“Improving the health and lives of all L.A Unified students and providing access to oral healthcare is a critical element to ensuring student achievement and success,” Schmerelson said. “As we celebrate National Children’s Dental Health Month, we are grateful for our partnership with The L.A. Trust and will continue to support their oral health awareness initiative so our students can stay healthy and benefit from a wealth of resources.”

ORAL HEALTH RESOURCES FROM THE L.A. TRUST

The L.A. Trust is releasing three oral health videos on social media this month. The “Brushing with Billy” videos feature Program Manager Esther Yepez and the kid-friendly puppet. The spots, which focus on brushing, flossing and healthy eating, have been aired 150 times on KLCS-TV, reaching an estimated viewership of more than 1.1 million.

The L.A. Trust also facilitated the broadcast of UCLA More LA Smiles oral health TV spots starring Sesame Street characters, which will be shown on KLCS remote learning channels through February. 

“People don’t understand the disease process when it comes to cavities – it’s insidious,” said Dr. Jim Crall, project director of More LA Smiles. Simple changes in student behavior can make a big difference and education is key, he said.

“Prevention is key to oral health and that includes screenings and education,” Puffer said. “The pandemic has transformed our oral health education activities but not our commitment. We will continue to use every means at our disposal to ensure that kids and teens enjoy the best possible oral health during this pandemic.”

SHHS Organization Facilitator Gloria Velasquez noted that seven Wellness Centers and school-based health clinics are currently providing partial or full oral health services for students and community members: El Sereno Middle School (Western Dental); Hart Street Elementary School (Dr. Samoha); Jefferson Wellness Center (South Central Family Health Center); Maclay and Sun Valley Middle Schools (NEVHC); Monroe (Valley Community Health, appointment only); and Washington Prep Wellness Center (St. John’s Family and Wellness Center). Call ahead for an appointment.

Oral Health Advisory Board focuses on prevention education

Dr. Jim Crall of UCLA More LA Smiles (and friend) discussed public oral health campaigns during the final Oral Health Advisory Board meeting of 2020.

Representatives of the L.A.’s student oral health community met online December 15 at the fourth and final 2020 meeting of The L.A. Trust’s Oral Health Advisory Board.  

More than three dozen oral health providers and stakeholders attended the event, which focused on public health campaigns and best practices for student oral healthcare in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Maryjane Puffer, executive director of The Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health, discussed The L.A. Trust’s oral health education campaign on KLCS featuring Program Manager Esther Yepez and her kid-friendly puppet, Billy. The campaign has generated up to 1.5 million views to date.  

Puffer thanked QueensCare for funding upcoming student oral healthcare education by The L.A. Trust at nine LAUSD sites and introduced The L.A. Trust’s new Oral Health Toolkit, providing useful resources for student and community dental care providers.  

Dr. Maritza Cabezas, dental director for L.A. County Department of Public Health, and Dr. Abrey Daniel, walked attendees through the development of a County oral health education campaign. She outlined the campaign development process, including: determining the need; selecting the audience; developing the message; and crafting the final creative with the help of focus groups. The County’s campaign’s goals are to increase awareness among caregivers of children under 5, demonstrating the importance and ease of at-home oral health habits.  

“People don’t understand the disease process when it comes to cavities – it’s insidious,” said Dr. Jim Crall, project director of UCLA More LA Smiles. He said “there are a lot of disconnects in oral health treatment” for children. Simple changes in student behavior can make a big difference and education is key. He previewed a series of TV spots featuring Sesame Street characters, which will be shown on KLCS remote learning channels through February. The L.A. Trust helped facilitate the broadcast of the Sesame Street spots.  

Doors still open 

Gloria Velasquez, organization facilitator for LAUSD Health and Human Services, said  seven Wellness Centers and school-based health clinics were still providing partial or full oral health services for students and community members: El Sereno Middle School (Western Dental); Hart Street Elementary School (Dr. Samoha); Jefferson Wellness Center (South Central Family Health Center); Maclay and Sun Valley Middle Schools (NEVHC); Monroe (Valley Community Health, appointment only); and Washington Prep Wellness Center (St. John’s Family and Wellness Center). 

Crall noted that the Medi-Cal Dental Transformation Initiative would continue but local DTI pilot programs would not. UCLA’s More LA Smiles LADRRS program (Los Angeles Dental Registry & Referral System) would be sustained for now and potentially integrated into the Department of Health Care Services.

The L.A. Trust OHAB meeting opens with good news on dental screenings

Dr. Maritza Cabezas, dental director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, discussed “dental deserts” at The L.A. Trust’s oral health convene.

Representatives from private and public oral health organizations discussed the state of children’s oral health at The L.A. Trust’s Oral Health Advisory Board Meeting, March 11, 2020 in at the California Community Foundation in downtown Los Angeles.

The meeting was convened by Associate Program Director Stella Kim, The L.A. Trust’s oral health lead. She introduced Executive Director Maryjane Puffer, who opened the meeting with good news: The Los Angeles Unified School Board approved a resolution the day before expanding dental and vision screenings for K-12 students. The resolution permits no-cost dental health screenings for every LAUSD student whose parents do not opt out, and requires a plan to be developed for the 2020-21 school year. Previously, prior parental approval was required for the non-invasive assessments.

The L.A. Trust’s Oral Health Advisory Board is a prime convener in the Los Angeles Country’s dental care community for school-based oral health. Its quarterly OHAB meetings attract dozens of participants from the public and private sectors.  Puffer provided an update on The L.A. Trust’s Oral Health Initiative, including The L.A. Trust Tooth Fairy Event, which provided free dental screenings for 205 students and community members and attracted a record number of attendees February 22. 

She announced The L.A. Trust is working with UCLA’s More LA Smiles on a Local District Pilot Project funded by the California
Dental Transformation Initiative (DTI). The pilot project will expand The L.A Trust’s Oral Health Initiative to 85 schools in LAUSD Local District South. The L.A. Trust will also participate in a 2020 Universal Kindergarten Screening pilot program with 141 potential school sites this year. 

California gets C-minus

Fatima Clark of Children Now gave a statewide update on children’s oral health from the 2020 California Children’s Report Card.  The report card gave the state’s oral health policies and resources a C-minus. 

“Too few children enrolled in Medi-Cal receive preventative services,” Clark said.  Nearly 4 in 10 California kindergartners (39%) did not complete oral health assessments due to financial burden or lack of funds; of those who did, 20% had untreated dental decay. But the report was cautiously optimistic about the improvements in student oral health, stating that “recent efforts to improve utilization look promising.” 

Read more on the California Dental Association website

Dr. Maritza Cabezas, dental director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, outlined a recent survey of “dental deserts” in the county. Dental deserts were mapped using three criteria: high population density; low income (Medi-Cal income cut-off); and one dental provider or less for every 4,000 patients.

The map identified numerous high-need, low-resource areas, many along the CA-110 corridor in Central and South Los Angeles. The survey identified 15 publicly funded medical clinics where dental services could be added and six dental clinics where oral healthcare could be expanded.

The morning session ended with a briefing from the UCLA-led More LA Smiles Consortium on a new pilot program designed to help Medi-Cal beneficiaries age 0 to 20. Associate Director Bonnie Shook and Technical Product Manager Joshua Norton introduced the LA Dental Registry and Referral System (LADRRS), which will allow medical and dental providers to “close the referral loop” and help thousands of patients get the oral healthcare they need. The presentations were followed by a working lunch and four breakout discussions on top systems change drivers: policy, financing, care and community.

Tooth Fairy Event will star oral health heroes Saturday, Feb. 22

The L.A. Trust Tooth Fairy Event will feature fun, prizes, free dental screenings and information about oral health.

The Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health is joining forces with the UCLA-led consortium More LA Smiles and other dental health heroes to present its biggest oral health event ever—The L.A. Trust’s fifth annual Tooth Fairy Event, Saturday, February 22 at Dodger Stadium from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The event is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s annual Health and Wellness Festival & 5K, expected to attract more than 5,000 students and community members. The event is free and open to all (pre-registration is required for LAUSD 5K participants).

The L.A. Trust Tooth Fairy Event will feature fun, prizes, free dental screenings and information booths hosted by L.A.’s leading oral healthcare organizations. In partnership with Sesame Street in Communities, the event will also include a special appearance by Cookie Monster from Sesame Street.

The LAUSD Health and Wellness Festival will include live entertainment, food trucks, fitness and dance classes, celebrity appearances, free stadium parking, and an interactive Kids Zone.

Running partners

In addition to the title sponsor—the UCLA-led consortium More LA Smiles—the Tooth Fairy event is supported by silver sponsors Big Smiles Dental, Delta Dental, Liberty Dental Plan Companies and the office of L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. 

Also sponsoring the event are Access Dental, America’s ToothFairy (NCOHF), Cedars-Sinai COACH for Kids Dental, East West Bank and Patterson Dental.

“The L.A. Trust is honored to be part of this amazing community event once again, and I want to thank Los Angeles Unified for inviting us,” said Maryjane Puffer, executive director of The L.A. Trust and L.A.’s unofficial Tooth Fairy. “February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, and it’s a good time to remember how important oral health is to our young people.”  

Puffer thanked “the healthcare companies and nonprofit organizations who’ve joined with us to stage this unique celebration of oral health. The care and education we give our young people today will pay dividends for a lifetime.”

The L.A. Trust Tooth Fairy Event will help kids brush up on oral health

Who flosses after every meal? The L.A. Trust Tooth Fairy Event will advance oral health Saturday, February 22 at Dodger Stadium.

Students and their families will join oral health providers and Los Angeles Tooth Fairy Maryjane Puffer at The L.A. Trust Tooth Fairy Event, Saturday, February 22 at Dodger Stadium from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The fifth annual event is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s annual “Move It!” Health and Wellness Festival and 5K, attracting more than 5,000 kids and family members. 

In addition to the 5K walk/run course, the Festival will include live entertainment, food trucks, fitness and dance classes, celebrity appearances, free stadium parking, booths from health providers and an interactive Kids Zone featuring games, face painting, an obstacle course, sports clinics and more. 

The L.A. Trust Tooth Fairy Event will be a key component of this high-profile community event, featuring free dental screenings, prizes and giveaways, photo opps and character appearances by Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster and others.

It’s fun-ucational

The Tooth Fairy Event will spotlight oral health information and booths hosted by L.A.’s leading oral healthcare organizations, including the Title Sponsor, UCLA-led consortium More LA Smiles. Other event sponsors include Big Smiles Dental, Liberty Dental Plan, the office of L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, America’s Toothfairy, Cedars-Sinai, East West Bank, Patterson Dental and Premier Access Dental.

Sponsorship opportunities for The L.A. Tooth Fairy Event are still available; please contact Anna Baum of The L.A. Trust by Friday, January 31.  

Registration is not required for the Festival—pre-registration is required for entering the race.

“February is National Children’s Dental Health Month,” said Maryjane Puffer, L.A.’s top Tooth Fairy and executive director of The L.A. Trust. “There’s no better time — and no better place — to promote the lifelong benefits of good oral health to children, adults, and caregivers than The L.A. Trust Tooth Fairy Event!”

“We have a lot of fun surprises planned for this year’s event,” said Stella Kim, associate program director at The L.A. Trust. “Program Manager Esther Yepez and I will be on hand with every member of The L.A. Trust staff to ensure everyone has a great time and learns more about oral health.”