Proponents say a bill before the House Health and Welfare Committee would be a first step toward dental education. House Bill 186 would require all children entering public school to have their teeth checked.
"By getting this check-up they can actually get in the mold of going to the dentist on a regular basis," said Rep. Tom Burch, D-Louisville, the bill's sponsor.
Kentucky has some of the worst oral health in the nation. The state ranks number two in the nation for toothlessness among adults, and number one in toothlessness among adults of working age.
The teeth of Kentucky's children are not much healthier. Approximately 42 percent of kids ages 2 to 4 have active cavities. At any given point, some 4,500 3-year-olds, or 8 percent of the population, have a tooth ache, said Julie McKee, the state dental director.
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