By Christian Coffman

NATCHEZ — The Natchez-Adams School District is bringing more smiles to area students in the form of dental care next year.

The Natchez-Adams school board hired Smiles to Go Mobile Dentistry last week during a special called board meeting.

Superintendent Fred Butcher said out of the two dentistry companies hired last year, Smiles to Go proved to be the most helpful.

“Last year we brought two companies, but Smiles was the one that was the most proactive,” Butcher said. “We want them to come back next year.”

Dental care is needed in the schools so students can learn how to care for their teeth and receive preventive care, he said.

President and owner of Smiles to Go, Ashley Casey, has been performing mobile dentistry in Mississippi for seven years with her husband.

“We’re currently we’re serving 33 school districts throughout the state,” Casey said. “It’s a big undertaking, but the need for oral health care is so high: it’s the number one chronic disease in children.”

On May 12, Smiles to Go examined 43 students at Susie B. West Elementary School, which included 33 cleanings, 33 fluoride varnish and applied rinses and 52 sealants.

If any of the students needed urgent care including attention for severe cavities, extractions or root canals, then students’ families would be informed.

Casey said children should visit a dentist every six months, so the mobile services try to coordinate with the principals around that idea.

The memorandum of understanding between the school district and Smiles to Go says dental treatment packets will be provided to the schools, which will include a parental consent form and a dental history and treatment form.

Smiles to Go must also provide follow-up calls to parents on all the urgent needs found by the dentist within a few days after the exams are performed, as well as bill the Mississippi Medicaid program, the state-sponsored Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIPs) and personal insurances if the parents provided the information on the consent form.