Deadline for parents to complete the Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment Form is May 31

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SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF. — The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department is encouraging parents of children enrolling in public school for their first year in transitional kindergarten (TK) or kindergarten to return the Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment (KOHA) form to their child’s school by the deadline of May 31. Parents can get a copy of the form from their child’s school if they have not already received one. Some families are offered screening at the school site. Other families take the form to their dentist and return it to the school by the deadline.

“It is important for parents to help their children fulfill their KOHA requirements so that every child in Santa Clara County can get care they need,” said Kimberly Alvarez, Director of Operations for the Healthier Kids Foundation. “The KOHA helps identify children who may not have a dental home and allows us to assist in connecting them to critical oral health care. By participating in their KOHA requirements, parents play an essential role in preventing dental concerns affecting their child’s well-being, school attendance, and confidence.”

“Supporting the Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment is a simple and effective way that schools and parents can help promote children’s health,” said Katie Rodriguez, School Nurse and Director of School Health at Santa Clara County Office of Education. “Parents, please take your child to a dentist and have them complete the Oral Health Assessment Form provided by your child's school. Children need to see a dentist regularly, even if they are not complaining of pain, and floss and brush daily twice a day for two full minutes using a pea-sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste. All children should be able to see a dentist and have healthy teeth."

The Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment requirement became state law in 2005 and was updated in 2017 and 2025. It requires children enrolling in public school for their first year in TK or kindergarten to have an oral health screening completed by a licensed dental professional. The Public Health Department and the state do not receive identifiable data about individual students, only aggregate statistics from each school. The more families who participate, the more likely children’s cavities are caught earlier or prevented, and the more accurate the data highlighting which communities do not have enough access to dental care.

Good oral health is integral to succeeding in school. Statewide, children with tooth decay are four times more likely to have lower grades and can miss more days due to dental problems. In 2022, more than 869,000 school days were missed in California due to dental problems.

"Dental care is health care," said Angelica Diaz, Director of the Healthy Communities Branch at the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department. "We know that children's self-esteem, school performance, sleep, nutrition, and overall health are affected by their oral health as well."

Families can visit sccphd.com/oralhealth or call (408) 808-6102 for information on getting health coverage and finding a dentist. For children with Medi-Cal Dental, an online Care Coordination Referral Form will help families find a local dentist, schedule an appointment and help establish a dental home.