F.A.Q. (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS) |
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Why should we have a Mobile Dentist at our school?
The U.S. Surgeon General and the Centers for Disease Control recommend in-school dental prevention and sealant programs for low-income children. Do you know that four out of five low-income children never see a dentist in a year? It has also been determined that 85% of all decay in children occurs in this group of low-income children. Dental disease can be serious and lead to severe infections that can have serious health and learning consequences. Dental decay is highly preventable and the goal of our program is to serve the most vulnerable children who don’t see a dentist for simple and highly effective prevention measures.
What are school-based sealant programs?
School-based dental sealant delivery programs provide sealants to children unlikely to receive them otherwise. Such programs--
Who approves the MHS Mobile Dental Program?
MHS Mobile Dental is approved by the Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners through Regulation 61/62. MHS Mobile Dental is approved to provide mobile/portable dental care on-site and is approved to provide the following services: dental prophylaxis, digital x-rays, sealants & restoration.
Who are the MHS Dentists and staff?
The MHS Mobile Dental team members are a caring group of dentists and dental assistants who are devoted to the importance of outreach dentistry and serving our most vulnerable children. Every dentist, dental hygienist or radiology tech working with MHS Mobile Dental is state licensed.
What types of prevention services are provided?
Our dentists provide a thorough dental examination, dental cleaning (prophylaxis), fluoride treatment, sealants (if needed), and digital x-rays. Check out our "Dentists & Services" page for more information. All of these typical preventative dental care treatments are approved services by the Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners.
What are sealants?
Sealants are plastic-like protective coatings painted on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth to seal the grooves and pits. These are the areas that are most likely to decay. In fact 85% of all decay occurs in the pits and grooves of the back teeth. When sealants are placed on the back teeth, they act as a physical barrier to decay and prevent cavities from forming. It is a quick and painless procedure that is highly recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service, the U.S. Surgeon General and the Centers for Disease Control. Learn more about sealants, including how they help prevent tooth decay and how they are applied, from this Dental Sealants Fact Sheet.
Do we have to pay MHS Mobile Dental to come to our school district?
No. There’s no cost to the school.
Does MHS Mobile Dental see every child at a school when they come on-site?
No. By law, we are required to obtain a signed parental/guardian consent form that has been approved by the Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners before we can see any child. If we do not have a completed and signed consent form for a child, we will not be able to provide any services to them.
How many children usually sign up for your program at a school?
Every school is different, but based on our years of experience, we typically only get 20%-25% return of consent forms from a given student body. For example, if an elementary school has 500 enrolled children, on average we can expect to receive 100-125 returned signed consent forms. And of that 20%-25% returned consent forms, typically 30-40% of those don't have any insurance coverage and are given dental care for free. The reason for this is that most children are seeing a dentist on a regular basis and have no need for a program like this. We are not here to become a dental home for a patient but more so to fill the void in dental care for the children who are truly in need for whatever reason.
Is there any cost at all to the family of any child who sees the dentist at school?
There’s no out-of-pocket cost to any patient or their family. Any dental service provided will be billed to the appropriate insurer whether it is Medicaid, MS-Chips, MS-Can, or private carrier with the information provided by the parent or guardian on the signed consent form. If the insurance provider does not pay for the claim due to lack of coverage at the time or because all available dental visits have been utilized for the period, MHS Mobile Dental WILL NEVER send any family or individual a bill. Those visits will be written off as in-kind/free dental care.
Does the MHS Mobile Dental school-based program charge a fee to the families of the children?
Most dental insurances, including Medicaid and CHIP, cover 100% of the preventive services that we provide. MHS Mobile Dental does not require any co-pay or co-insurance for the service provided.
How many people actually come to our location?
Our teams generally include a dentist and four to five dental assistants.
How long will our students be out of the classroom?
On average, the children are with our team for about a twenty minutes, but the actual length of time depends on three things: the number of services the child requires, the age of the child and of course how many teeth need to be sealed.
What happens if a child requires a referral for additional dental work?
We have a referral list of dentists and dental public health facilities that accept patients for follow-up work. Also, if we take x-rays on a child, we will send those electronically upon written request to the dentist providing follow-up care.
Will MHS Mobile Dental see children or individuals that have no insurance at all?
Yes. In fact, from Sept 2010 through the end of 2023 MHS Mobile Dental has provided Mississippi’s children with over $12.7 Million in free dental care services. MHS Mobile Dental files covered patient's dental service with private insurance, Medicaid, MS Can, or MS Chip. But as mentioned, a significant portion of our patients (About 30-40%) typically have no insurance at all and we will never turn them down. We will continue to see these patients with oral health care needs and provided them with in-kind (free) dental care service. If a patient has dental insurance coverage but has been to a dentist in the previous 6-months, we will still provide our preventative services if that child returns a signed consent form even though we will not be compensated.
What if my child visits you at school then we go to a dental appointment within 6 months?
That is no problem. First, if you had appointments already scheduled then there is a good chance that you visit a dentist on a regular basis. If that is the case, we encourage you to continue that process and there is really no need for you to send your child to our clinic. But if you did anyway, no need to worry. We will still provide our preventative services to your child but we will not be compensated nor will you receive any type of bill from us or an insurance company if you had been to a dentist in the last 6 months. In the case where your child had not been to a dentist in a long time but had an appointment scheduled, our visit would take the place of a regular dentist visit. But that is still not a problem. We can email your dentist a copy of your child's digital x-rays if they want them. Most dentist will still take their own. We do two bite wing x-rays on-site. Your dentist will still be able to bill for a Pan x-ray if they need to. And since we provide a comprehensive exam (Code 0150), your dentist can still bill for a limited exam (Code 0140) if they so desire. Ultimately, we hope that children will find a local dental home and will no longer need the services of a program like ours. But as long as there are families and children in need we will offer our services.
How do I schedule a visit from MHS Mobile Dental?
It’s easy. Just call the MHS Mobile Dental office at 844-737-7331. You can also go to our "Contact" page for information and to submit a direct request via email. Please let us know which dates are best for you and your students so we can arrange our visit to suit your school or facility schedule. Keep in mind, dates for the school year fill up fast and the school with a date has first option of the same week the following year. As for other facilities and programs, there are approximately 11 weeks during the summer and these dates are also first come first serve.
What do we need to prepare for a visit?
We ask you to do only two things before our visit:
1) Assist our team with coordinating the distribution of consent forms and health history forms (provided by us) to the children and/or parents and collect them as the children or patients return them.
2) Identify a space about 12x12-feet where we can set up our “dental office” that is in close proximity of bathroom and running water and has adequate electrical outlets.
The U.S. Surgeon General and the Centers for Disease Control recommend in-school dental prevention and sealant programs for low-income children. Do you know that four out of five low-income children never see a dentist in a year? It has also been determined that 85% of all decay in children occurs in this group of low-income children. Dental disease can be serious and lead to severe infections that can have serious health and learning consequences. Dental decay is highly preventable and the goal of our program is to serve the most vulnerable children who don’t see a dentist for simple and highly effective prevention measures.
What are school-based sealant programs?
School-based dental sealant delivery programs provide sealants to children unlikely to receive them otherwise. Such programs--
- Define a target population within a school district
- Verify unmet need for sealants
- Get financial, material, and policy support
- Apply rules for selecting schools and students
- Apply sealants at school or offsite in clinics
Who approves the MHS Mobile Dental Program?
MHS Mobile Dental is approved by the Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners through Regulation 61/62. MHS Mobile Dental is approved to provide mobile/portable dental care on-site and is approved to provide the following services: dental prophylaxis, digital x-rays, sealants & restoration.
Who are the MHS Dentists and staff?
The MHS Mobile Dental team members are a caring group of dentists and dental assistants who are devoted to the importance of outreach dentistry and serving our most vulnerable children. Every dentist, dental hygienist or radiology tech working with MHS Mobile Dental is state licensed.
What types of prevention services are provided?
Our dentists provide a thorough dental examination, dental cleaning (prophylaxis), fluoride treatment, sealants (if needed), and digital x-rays. Check out our "Dentists & Services" page for more information. All of these typical preventative dental care treatments are approved services by the Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners.
What are sealants?
Sealants are plastic-like protective coatings painted on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth to seal the grooves and pits. These are the areas that are most likely to decay. In fact 85% of all decay occurs in the pits and grooves of the back teeth. When sealants are placed on the back teeth, they act as a physical barrier to decay and prevent cavities from forming. It is a quick and painless procedure that is highly recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service, the U.S. Surgeon General and the Centers for Disease Control. Learn more about sealants, including how they help prevent tooth decay and how they are applied, from this Dental Sealants Fact Sheet.
Do we have to pay MHS Mobile Dental to come to our school district?
No. There’s no cost to the school.
Does MHS Mobile Dental see every child at a school when they come on-site?
No. By law, we are required to obtain a signed parental/guardian consent form that has been approved by the Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners before we can see any child. If we do not have a completed and signed consent form for a child, we will not be able to provide any services to them.
How many children usually sign up for your program at a school?
Every school is different, but based on our years of experience, we typically only get 20%-25% return of consent forms from a given student body. For example, if an elementary school has 500 enrolled children, on average we can expect to receive 100-125 returned signed consent forms. And of that 20%-25% returned consent forms, typically 30-40% of those don't have any insurance coverage and are given dental care for free. The reason for this is that most children are seeing a dentist on a regular basis and have no need for a program like this. We are not here to become a dental home for a patient but more so to fill the void in dental care for the children who are truly in need for whatever reason.
Is there any cost at all to the family of any child who sees the dentist at school?
There’s no out-of-pocket cost to any patient or their family. Any dental service provided will be billed to the appropriate insurer whether it is Medicaid, MS-Chips, MS-Can, or private carrier with the information provided by the parent or guardian on the signed consent form. If the insurance provider does not pay for the claim due to lack of coverage at the time or because all available dental visits have been utilized for the period, MHS Mobile Dental WILL NEVER send any family or individual a bill. Those visits will be written off as in-kind/free dental care.
Does the MHS Mobile Dental school-based program charge a fee to the families of the children?
Most dental insurances, including Medicaid and CHIP, cover 100% of the preventive services that we provide. MHS Mobile Dental does not require any co-pay or co-insurance for the service provided.
How many people actually come to our location?
Our teams generally include a dentist and four to five dental assistants.
How long will our students be out of the classroom?
On average, the children are with our team for about a twenty minutes, but the actual length of time depends on three things: the number of services the child requires, the age of the child and of course how many teeth need to be sealed.
What happens if a child requires a referral for additional dental work?
We have a referral list of dentists and dental public health facilities that accept patients for follow-up work. Also, if we take x-rays on a child, we will send those electronically upon written request to the dentist providing follow-up care.
Will MHS Mobile Dental see children or individuals that have no insurance at all?
Yes. In fact, from Sept 2010 through the end of 2023 MHS Mobile Dental has provided Mississippi’s children with over $12.7 Million in free dental care services. MHS Mobile Dental files covered patient's dental service with private insurance, Medicaid, MS Can, or MS Chip. But as mentioned, a significant portion of our patients (About 30-40%) typically have no insurance at all and we will never turn them down. We will continue to see these patients with oral health care needs and provided them with in-kind (free) dental care service. If a patient has dental insurance coverage but has been to a dentist in the previous 6-months, we will still provide our preventative services if that child returns a signed consent form even though we will not be compensated.
What if my child visits you at school then we go to a dental appointment within 6 months?
That is no problem. First, if you had appointments already scheduled then there is a good chance that you visit a dentist on a regular basis. If that is the case, we encourage you to continue that process and there is really no need for you to send your child to our clinic. But if you did anyway, no need to worry. We will still provide our preventative services to your child but we will not be compensated nor will you receive any type of bill from us or an insurance company if you had been to a dentist in the last 6 months. In the case where your child had not been to a dentist in a long time but had an appointment scheduled, our visit would take the place of a regular dentist visit. But that is still not a problem. We can email your dentist a copy of your child's digital x-rays if they want them. Most dentist will still take their own. We do two bite wing x-rays on-site. Your dentist will still be able to bill for a Pan x-ray if they need to. And since we provide a comprehensive exam (Code 0150), your dentist can still bill for a limited exam (Code 0140) if they so desire. Ultimately, we hope that children will find a local dental home and will no longer need the services of a program like ours. But as long as there are families and children in need we will offer our services.
How do I schedule a visit from MHS Mobile Dental?
It’s easy. Just call the MHS Mobile Dental office at 844-737-7331. You can also go to our "Contact" page for information and to submit a direct request via email. Please let us know which dates are best for you and your students so we can arrange our visit to suit your school or facility schedule. Keep in mind, dates for the school year fill up fast and the school with a date has first option of the same week the following year. As for other facilities and programs, there are approximately 11 weeks during the summer and these dates are also first come first serve.
What do we need to prepare for a visit?
We ask you to do only two things before our visit:
1) Assist our team with coordinating the distribution of consent forms and health history forms (provided by us) to the children and/or parents and collect them as the children or patients return them.
2) Identify a space about 12x12-feet where we can set up our “dental office” that is in close proximity of bathroom and running water and has adequate electrical outlets.
