Over 200 students from the Houston Independent School District (HISD) are set to get a boost in dental health today, thanks to the Houston Health Department (HHD), which is rolling out free dental screenings and treatments. The initiative, dubbed Project Saving Smiles, targets second graders and high school students, ferrying them by bus to the West End Health Center for a day of oral care.

Starting from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. today, healthcare professionals from the HHD will be hard at work providing dental sealants and fluoride varnishes, treatments known to fend off caries and cavities, and they'll be doing this with no charge to the families, the department is focused on reaching about 6,000 to 8,000 students each academic year through these interventions. According to the Houston Health Department announcement, dental sealants are a preventative measure, acting as thin plastic coatings that smooth out the grooves of back teeth making them easier to keep clean and fluoride varnishes work by coating the teeth which both prevents and halts the progression of dental decay.

The program isn't just about keeping smiles bright; it's also about breaking down barriers to success in school by tackling one of the leading causes of absenteeism: toothache and oral discomfort. By addressing dental health issues in students from disadvantaged backgrounds, the HHD hopes to keep kids in class and learning effectively.

For those interested in covering the event, the West End Health Center, located at 190 Heights, has made arrangements for news media parking behind the facility in the Harvard Street lot, check-in will be through the Security Desk; as per the HHD, members of the press are welcomed and encouraged to attend and report on the initiative proving education and health coexist in more ways than one when it comes to public health and civic duty.