Gov. Ted Strickland signed legislation in May that made an exemption for fluoride mouth rinse.
“Fluoride rinse programs are one tool to help eradicate dental disease for Ohio’s children,” said David Owsiany, executive director of the Ohio Dental Association.
Owsiany added that preventing tooth decay can eliminate the need for more invasive and expensive care later.
The cost of running the program, paid for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is roughly 25 cents per student per year, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
In the 2008-09 school year, about 39,000 students from 150 elementary schools statewide participated in the program, which targets communities without sufficiently fluoridated water.
One early review of fluoride mouth rinse programs showed a 31 percent reduction in cavities for communities without fluoridated water.
The Health Department will contact schools that participated in the program before its suspension and update them on the new laws.
The program should be able to restart a couple of weeks into the new school year, said Dr. Mark Siegal, chief of the Ohio Bureau of Oral Health Services.
As before, students will require their parents’ permission to participate.
Schools will allot 5 minutes each week for students to be given the fluoride solution, swish the fluid and dispose of it in the garbage.
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