Mission
Through education and preventive services, Ready Set Smile (RSS) prepares and empowers all children in our community to care for their oral health.
Vision
Every child in our community will have an opportunity to be free of dental disease.
Values
Prevention of oral disease is more valuable than treatment.
Every child should have access to preventive dental services.
Children should be encouraged and empowered to be responsible for their oral health through education.
The gateway to children is through parents, their greater community and school.
All community members, local and extended, play a role in the success of students. Integrating community members’ disciplines on behalf of children will generate profound and lasting change.
A new model of delivery and engagement is necessary to improve the oral health of all children.
Strategic Plan
Goal: Children who have engaged parents, a supportive learning environment and access to routine preventive services will have good oral health.
A delivery care model will be established within the school to provide children with routine preventive dental services: prophys, fluoride treatments and sealants.
This model is to be directed by a dentist/dental therapist leading a team of dental professionals.
Services provided by RSS will be based on national best practices. Evidence-based dentistry will be our foundation. As we grow our research will contribute to this foundation.
Interim Therapeutic Restoration (ITR) will be performed for children with visible caries/tooth decay.
A referral system will be made available to families whose children are diagnosed with early and urgent dental needs
Curriculum in each classroom will educate students on the importance of good oral hygiene, the science behind dental disease, and the impact of diet on oral and general health.
A spirit of good health will be supported for school staff & families through the regular presence of RSS dental professionals at school events and family programs.
RSS builds professional relationships within the greater community of Jefferson including parents, teachers and all other community members.
Outcomes will be measured each year by pre and post school year screenings of dental disease.
Outcomes of health literacy will be measured with pre and post school curriculum testing on selected grades.
Student records will be protected but our data will be used to expand the knowledge of best practices for future programs.
Over time our program will be expanded to reach other schools within our community.