A school-based health program is opening up dental care to hundreds of children in northern Jackson County this month.

Elementary school students in White City, Eagle Point, Butte Falls and Prospect will be given full oral-health assessments and go home with referrals for restorative dental work. Dental sealants also will be available to about 200 eligible children early next year, said Peg Crowley, executive director of Community Health Center.

A $40,000 grant from the Reed and Carolee Walker Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation will pay for the sealants and allowed Community Health Center to expand its program this year from the Eagle Point School District into Butte Falls and Prospect.

"There are no dental services out there, and transportation is an issue," said Dawn Wille, school health program manager for Community Health Center.

Other partners in the effort are the county health department's dental prevention program, the Children's Dental Clinic, the Eagle Point School District Foundation and PacifiCorp.

"This is a tremendous example of what communities can do when they come together to leverage the various resources available," Crowley said.

Regional dental health consultant Bonnie Hansen will screen about 1,000 children in first, third and fifth grades through Nov 2. In its first four sessions, Community Health Center has referred about one-third of children for fillings and other procedures, Wille said.

She said she expects about 50 percent of children in White City will need dental work. The kids' diets, home environments and level of parental involvement all contribute to dental problems, she added.

"Dental health is one of the leading causes of absenteeism," Wille said.

Jackson County, according to federal standards, hasn't had enough local dentists to serve the population since the early 1990s, said Ronalie Sweet, dental program coordination for the county. In addition, few dentists here accept Oregon Health Plan patients, she said.

"The decay rate that we're seeing is anywhere from 40 to 60 percent," she said, adding that the number varies widely between schools, ages and socioeconomic status.

Community Health Center also helps uninsured or under-insured families obtain coverage either through OHP or the state's children's health insurance plan, another government-sponsored program, Crowley said. Children who have dental emergencies or otherwise can't get insurance, are sent to the Children's Dental Clinic in Medford.

The program also focuses on education, putting nursing students into classrooms to demonstrate proper brushing techniques and to discourage eating sugary foods, particularly without brushing afterward, Crowley said.

"We talk about the meaning of having good teeth."

Community Health Center will reapply for an additional two years of grant funding, and with the Walker Fund's assistance is looking to establish the program permanently, Crowley said.

Dental assessment clinics will be held Thursday at Eagle Rock Elementary School, Oct. 31 at Lake Creek Learning Center and Nov. 2 at Little Butte Elementary School.

Sealant clinics will be scheduled in early 2007 for children who have no active dental decay or fillings. Dental sealants are made of a thin plastic coating and, when professionally applied to the chewing surfaces of back teeth, prevent cavities.

Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail slemon@mailtribune.com.