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Fast Facts:

California’s children have twice as much untreated decay as their national counterparts.

Only 10% of California’s 8-year olds get sealants for their first permanent molars.

Only 30% of Californians currently receive the benefits of fluoridated water.

Kern County Children’s Dental Health Network
1800 30th Street, Ste. #230
Bakersfield, CA 93301
Tel: 661.377.0322 or 661.377.0323
Fax: 661.377.0329

KCCDHN
Kern County Children's Dental Health Network

Providing children's dental services at school

The Kern County Children’s Dental Health Network (KCCDHN) began providing dental services for Kern County children in December, 2000. The program was developed as a partnership between the Kern County Superintendent of Schools and West Kern Community College District (Taft College Dental Hygiene Program). The program is funded by First 5-Kern (Proposition 10). The primary goal of the mobile school-based dental program is to decrease the amount of decay in children, 1-5 years of age by improving access to dental services.

The dental services are provided by a cadre of KCCDHN staff including Stacy Eastman, DDS, 5 local pediatric dentists, Daniel Launspach, DDS; Daniel Purdy DMD; Edward Dove, DDS PC; Robert Bang DDS; and Kurt W. Sturz, DMD MS; 4 Dental Hygienists in Alternative Practice; and 25 second-year dental hygiene students from Taft College Dental Hygiene Program.

The dental hygiene students provide the preventive services at a school site, under the direction of Stacy Eastman DDS. Their services include oral health education, an oral screening, a plaque index, a prophylaxis, application of fluoride, and sealants, if age appropriate. Children who are identified as needing further treatment are then given the opportunity to be treated by one of the local subcontracted pediatric dentists, Dr. Launspach DDS, Dr. Purdy DDS, Dr. Dove DDS or Dr. Bang DDS in their respective offices. There are no fees for any of the dental services provided.

In Times of Trauma, See Your Dentist! Spring is in the air, and with nice weather comes more outdoor physical activity.  Unfortunately, that can also bring injuries to the mouth and teeth. Injuries to children’s teeth can be alarming for both the child and the child’s parents or caretakers.  These injuries may include a chipped or cracked tooth or teeth, or teeth that are partially displaced or completely dislodged from the socket. The consequences of the injury will depend on whether the tooth is a primary or permanent tooth, and the nature and severity of the injury.  It is best to see a dentist whenever a child’s tooth has been injured.  However, if the child has suffered a blow to the head (which can be life threatening), or has injured another part of the body, it may be necessary to be seen in the hospital emergency room. There are several reasons for the importance of having the tooth injury evaluated by a dentist.  Teeth that are chipped can lacerate tissues in the mouth, cheeks, lips, or gums; or these tissues may be wounded at the time of the trauma and need attention.  If the tooth has a sharp edge, it may cause further damage to the tissues without treatment.  Tooth fragments may be embedded in soft tissue that may need to be removed.  Also, depending on the severity of the injury, some damage may  not be visually seen.  For instance, some falls may injure the developing permanent tooth bud, or there may be a crack the tooth or some surrounding bone that may not be detected without an x-ray. Read More