A new law requires that by May 31 each year students in kindergarten (or first grade if it is their first year in public school) submit proof of an oral health assessment performed by a licensed dentist or other licensed or registered dental health professional. The implementation date of this new law is January 1, 2007, therefore impacting students currently in kindergarten or first grade.
Assembly Bill 1433 was signed into law by the Governor on September 22, 2006, establishing this requirement (Education Code [EC] Section 49452.8). The law states that schools must send notification of the new assessment requirement to parents or legal guardians. The law also states that districts must aggregate the data received from pupils and send an annual report (by December 31) to the respective county office of education for storage in a manner that allows for its release upon request. Additional information regarding the annual report is forthcoming.
A sample notification letter and a standardized assessment/waiver form are available below for local educational agency use. The law requires that the notification to parents include specific information; this sample letter, when used in its entirety, complies with those requirements. The assessment/waiver form includes a section that parents or guardians may complete in order to be exempted from the oral health assessment requirement. EC Section 49452.8 is also provided below, as well as a link to the California Dental Association, which also has information regarding the new oral health assessment requirement.
If you have questions about the apportionment funding for this program, please contact Marcie Gregory by e-mail at mgregory@cde.ca.gov or by telephone at 916-324-4537. If you have questions related to the implementation of EC Section 49452.8, please contact Donna Bezdecheck at dbezdech@cde.ca.gov or by telephone at 916-319-0283.
Oral Health Assessment Funding
Information on funds to local educational agencies for notifying parents and legal guardians of the oral health screening requirements.
Oral Health Assessment District Reporting
EC Section 49452.8 states that all school districts shall submit a report each year to the county office of education of the county in which the school district is located.
California Dental Association (Outside Source)
Sample Notification and Assessment/Waiver Forms
- Oral Health Notification Letter (English) (DOC; 45KB; 2pp.)
Available Translations of the Sample Oral Health Notification Letter
The Oral Health Notification Letter is used to notify parents of the required oral health assessment. - Oral Health Assessment/Waiver Request Form (English) (Revised 10-Mar-2008; DOC; 51KB; 1p.)
Available Translations of the Oral Health Assessment/Waiver Request Form
The Oral Health Assessment/Waiver Request Form accompanies the Oral Health Notification letter. - Other Language Translations (Outside Source)
The California Dental Association has translated versions of the sample letter and assessment/waiver form available in Russian, Chinese, Hmong and Vietnamese.
