Children's Oral Health Initiative (COHI)

A COHI Dental Hygienist checks the health of the child's teeth, gums, and mouth.

Benefits:

A fun gentle way for children to be introduced to oral health care, identifies if a child needs to see a dentist for immediate oral health care.

A protective coating that is painted on a child’s teeth to make the enamel stronger. It helps to prevent new cavities from forming and may slow or stop existing decay from getting worse.

Benefits:

Helps prevent cavities, quick and easy to apply, safe to use with young children and pleasant tasting.

Dental sealants are thin, protective coatings that are applied to the chewing surfaces of back teeth. They fill the grooves and pits on these surfaces, making it harder for bacteria and food particles to get trapped and cause tooth decay.

Benefits:

Create a protective barrier on teeth, effective in helping to prevent tooth decay, and are easy to apply.

Dental Sealants Factsheet

The removal of plaque and tarter buildup from teeth to help keep teeth and gums healthy.

Benefits:

Removal of potentially harmful oral bacteria in an effort to prevent tooth decay, gingivitis, bad breath, and promote good oral health for overall health.

Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) is a liquid made up of fluoride and silver particles that is applied directly to cavities with a small brush. It stops cavities from growing by making the tooth harder and limits the growth of bacteria that cause tooth decay.

Benefits:

Arrests the progress of an already formed cavity in permanent and primary teeth. The silver ions act as an antimicrobial agent against the caries, while the fluoride ion acts to prevent further demineralization.

Silver Diamine Fluoride Factsheet

Small temporary fillings which do not require freezing that are applied to teeth that have cavities.

Benefits:

Stop teeth from decaying further until client can see a dentist for permanent treatment.

Interim Stablization Therapy Factsheet

• Coordination of prenatal health sessions with Community Health Nurse, Maternal Child Health team and COHI Aide
• Promotion of good oral health practices to include promotion of oral health visit during pregnancy, oral hygiene instruction, and other information relevant to trimester
• Provision of oral screening if requested
• Referral for oral health services as needed
• Provide information on oral bacterial transmission, prevention of delivery of low birth weight babies as a result of poor oral health, and promotion of breast feeding and other healthy eating practices
• Introduction to oral hygiene for baby
• Information on bottles, pacifiers, and teething

• We bring fun and engaging presentations that cover a variety of oral health related topics into the classroom 
• Presentations include game based and experimental learning, oral health themed songs and activities
• Incorporation of Anishinaabemowin language and culture
• Brushing and flossing oral hygiene demonstrations
• Classroom discussions to promote oral health for overall health
• School based oral health education interventions have been shown to have positive impacts on behavioural outcomes among children