Suncoast Community Health Centers marks Dental Hygiene Month with Tampa Bay expansion

Suncoast Community Health Centers is using National Dental Hygiene Month in October to push preventive dental care, especially for children, as it expands access across Tampa Bay. The health center has added sites in Riverview and at the Feeding Tampa Bay clinic while continuing to offer sliding-fee, no-turn-away care.

Why it matters: - Suncoast Community Health Centers is using National Dental Hygiene Month to remind Tampa Bay families that preventive dental care can reduce avoidable childhood cavities and school absences. - The message lands as the organization expands access in Riverview and at the Feeding Tampa Bay clinic, bringing more primary, dental and behavioral health care options to families across the region. - Suncoast Community Health Centers continues to serve patients on a sliding-fee, no-turn-away basis, which matters for households that may delay care because of cost.

What happened: - October is National Dental Hygiene Month, and Suncoast Community Health Centers is spotlighting pediatric dental checkups, brushing twice a day and flossing. - Bradley Herremans, CEO of Suncoast Community Health Centers, said fall is a good time for families to reset preventive routines, including dental cleanings and physicals. - The health center recently added locations in Riverview and at the Feeding Tampa Bay clinic.

The details: - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says cavities are the most common chronic disease of childhood in the United States. - By age 8, more than half of children, or 52%, have had a cavity in their primary teeth. - Nearly 1 in 5 children ages 6 to 8 have at least one untreated cavity. - Children from lower-income families are about twice as likely to have untreated cavities as children from higher-income families, according to the CDC. - Suncoast Community Health Centers says routine dental visits and daily home care can help prevent cavities. - The organization says families can use October as a reminder to schedule overdue pediatric dental checkups. - SCHC says its full network offers dental, primary and behavioral health services, plus other care options depending on location. - Families can use the health center's website to find the nearest location offering the service they need. - The organization has served Hillsborough County since 1977. - SCHC says it accepts most insurance plans, including Medicaid, Medicare and the Hillsborough County Healthcare Plan. - SCHC also offers sliding-fee services so patients are not denied care because of lack of insurance or inability to pay. - The health center's services include adult and pediatric medical care, dental care, behavioral health, optometry, lab services, financial counseling, social services, insurance enrollment assistance and pharmacy services. - More information is available on the health center's website.

Between the lines: - Suncoast Community Health Centers is tying a public-awareness month to a broader access story, signaling that preventive care and expansion are part of the same strategy. - The timing also aligns with back-to-school routines, flu season and Halloween, which can make families more receptive to checkups and daily hygiene reminders. - The CDC says untreated dental disease contributes to about 34 million lost school hours and nearly $46 billion in lost productivity nationally each year. - That broader cost helps explain why preventive dental access is framed as a community health issue, not just a dental one.

What's next: - Throughout October, Suncoast Community Health Centers plans to keep highlighting preventive care resources, including pediatric dental services at locations that offer them. - The organization says families can contact the health center directly to find the right site and appointment type for dental, primary care or other services. - SCHC will continue pointing patients to its growing network as it works to expand access across Tampa Bay.

The bottom line: - Suncoast Community Health Centers is using Dental Hygiene Month to drive home a simple message: preventive care is easiest to maintain when families can access it locally and affordably.