MN HF4194

Establishes SEAL Minnesota, a statewide school-based dental sealant program targeting second and sixth grade students in schools with low-income, uninsured, or publicly insured students who lack access to sealant programs.

Commissioner of health shall award grants to community health boards, clinics, public health organizations, dental institutions, and oral health professionals to expand existing or create new school-based sealant programs in underserved schools.

Requires commissioner to develop and implement a pilot program in five designated communities of color or recent immigrant communities (at least two in nonmetropolitan dental health professional shortage areas) to increase awareness and early preventive dental disease intervention for infants and toddlers.

Pilot program shall distribute educational materials to expectant and new parents through health care providers, community clinics, WIC sites, and ethnic media outreach, with strategies and incentives tailored to each designated community.

Commissioner must submit reports by March 15, 2019 (on school-based sealant program) and March 15, 2020 (on pilot program) describing implementation details, designated communities, strategies, outcome measures, and evaluation results; appropriations provided for fiscal year 2019 to implement both programs.