Garfield County moved to a new web address in March. Find us then at garfieldcountyco.gov. Domains like this are more trusted, because only official governments can use them.
Young girl smiles at the dentist.

SDF success a reason to smile

Smiles for Students program provides free oral health care at Garfield County schools

COMMUNITY NOTICE
April 25, 2025

For 17 years, Garfield County Public Health has led efforts to improve children’s oral health through its Smiles for Students school-based dental program. Each year, the “Smiles” program travels to 16 schools in the county, providing free preventive oral health care services for more than 1,000 students. The program’s work was recently published in the journal Public Health in Practice. The publication is based on a pilot study conducted in partnership with the Department of Epidemiology & Health Promotion at New York University (NYU).

The program has always provided high-quality dental hygiene appointments to students during the school day. However, adopting NYU’s model resulted in a 23 percent increase in patients served, a 53 percent reduction in treatment time, 45 percent reduction in labor cost, and a 24 percent reduction in cost of supplies.

“Having our work published is an exciting accomplishment,” said Garfield County Public Health Smiles Program Coordinator Carrie Godes. “Many areas around the state and nation lack school-based dental programs because they are too costly and too cumbersome to run. Our outcomes are promising because they provide an easily replicated framework, allowing more kids access to critical preventive dental care.”

One of the reasons for the program’s success has been the use of a topical antibacterial liquid called silver diamine fluoride (SDF).

SDF treatment is painless. It is easily brushed onto teeth to slow or even stop 60-80 percent of early to moderate cavities. Studies have shown the use of SDF can lead to a two-thirds reduction in the use of anesthesia. SDF can also be used on healthy teeth to prevent cavities. NYU research showed that SDF used for prevention of cavities has results comparable to dental sealants. SDF can also be used to treat tooth sensitivity.

If SDF is applied on a cavity, it will stain the cavity black permanently. Only decayed areas of the tooth will stain. Healthy teeth will not stain from SDF. The treated decay can be treated with a cosmetic filling later on at your dentist’s office if desired.

Among students seen in Garfield County schools, 27 percent are found to have cavities. Approximately 60 percent of those cavities can be treated with SDF.
“SDF is great, and it certainly has been a game changer for our program,” Godes said. “Now we have a tool to prevent, slow down, or even stop cavities. After we see students in the schools, we refer them to follow up with their dentist for ongoing care.”

Visit the Garfield County Dental Programs webpage for additional information on SDF and community dental programs offered through Garfield County Public Health.