Washington is doing better than many states when it comes to the dental health of its children, a less well known but important part of school readiness and early childhood development.

A new Pew Center on the States report gave Washington a B for its children’s dental health – only 9 states received that grade, while 36 were handed a C or worse. That means our state is doing well, but still has work to do. One area of concern is the finding that 57 percent of children who qualify for its Access to Baby and Children Dentistry program do not receive care. The program works to provide dental care to Medicaid-eligible children through age six.   

Dental health is one of the health issues tied to early learning because if untreated dental problems can impact learning and behavior in school and then social and cognitive development, Pew’s national report said. Ultimately, poor dental health builds one more segment in the achievement gap, researchers added.

School absences contribute to the widening achievement gap, making it difficult for children with chronic toothaches to perform as well as their peers, prepare for subsequent grades and ultimately graduate. – “The Cost of Delay: State Dental Policies Fail One in Five Children.”

Washington is also behind on putting fluoride in its water, with only 63 percent of its community water supplies containing fluoride, compared to the goal of 75 percent set by the federal Healthy People 2010 Campaign.

“Dental disease can be painful, and affect a child’s success in school, their future and their overall health. Good oral health is a necessity – not a luxury,” Laura Smith, president of the Washington Dental Service Foundation, a non-profit group that works on improving dental health in children and senior citizens, said in a statement.