How We Improve Kids’ Teeth with More Access to Fluoride

Update: AB 350 will be moving forward in 2026

A healthy smile is one of the best signs of a happy, thriving child. That’s why protecting children’s oral health is so important. It supports their well-being, confidence, and ability to grow, learn, and play. 

Childhood cavities are the most common chronic condition among kids, and according to the 2018–19 California Smile Survey, 61% of third graders in California have experienced tooth decay. Left untreated, cavities can lead to pain, infections, and difficulty with everyday activities like eating, speaking, and learning. Dental pain and poor oral health also lead to kids missing school nearly three times as often.  

The good news, though, is cavities are largely preventable with the right care and attention, and there’s still a great opportunity to make a positive impact on kids’ smiles. Prevention is the most powerful method when it comes to improving oral health and keeping cavities away, and fluoride has proven to repair and prevent damage to teeth. Unfortunately though, in California less than half of children in the Medi-Cal program have annual dental visits where topical fluoride varnish could be applied.  

AB 350, authored by Assemblymember Mia Bonta and co-sponsored by Children Now, would help solve this issue and get more kids access to fluoride treatment. It would ensure that the preventive benefit of topical fluoride varnish is offered and utilized by children in primary care and public health settings, including at schools where children can receive health services. Beyond children the age of 5 years, for whom commercial and Medi-Cal plans must provide fluoride varnish, children still go to their doctor for well-child visits and attend school as they grow older. If a child does not already have a regular source of dental care, these settings are even more critical to access topical fluoride varnish and prevent cavities from progressing or forming altogether. Additionally, AB 350 would expand coverage of topical fluoride varnish so that all kids under age 21, both in Medi-Cal and commercial health plans, can benefit from this preventive treatment in medical offices. 

This bill is even more crucial considering recent statements from the federal administration that threaten community water fluoridation (CWF). The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named CWF as one of the 10 greatest public health interventions in the 20th century due to the dramatic decline in cavities since it started in 1945. In lieu of any potential rollbacks to CWF in California, AB 350 could help fill in voids for children receiving topical fluoride varnish to prevent future cavities.

Allowing more children to benefit from topical fluoride varnish application could lead to improved oral health outcomes and better school attendance. By passing AB 350, we can put California’s children on a path to healthier smiles.