On Wednesday, UMass Memorial and HCFA teamed up to provide free screenings and fluoride varnish to kids ages 0-21 at the Auburn Mall. Children and their parents enjoyed receiving these services from great providers in a casual, accessible location.
Representative Scibak stopped by the event to demonstrate his support for these important services. As he has explained many times, oral health is an important part of overall health. Left untreated, dental disease can interfere with a child’s ability to eat, sleep, speak and learn. As we age, the implications of this disease become more severe. Decades of research have confirmed the associations between dental disease and serious lifelong ailments such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and preterm birth.
Fortunately, dental disease is almost completely preventable with access to screening and preventive measures such as fluoride varnish. Currently, MassHealth reimburses pediatricians and other health care providers for providing fluoride varnish. A new bill sponsored by Representative Scibak and Senator Chandler, will make it easier for kids to access fluoride varnish treatments, by mandating that private insurers reimburse for these services as well.
By teaming up with people across the board- such as legislative heroes and dedicated health care providers- we can make sure that we keep the Commonwealth healthy.
-Christine Keeves
