Kindergarten or first grade health and dental screenings are required before school starts (and if kids didn't go to preschool, parents might not know that they need to do it). All kids entering the public school system in California (and many other states too) are required to have, and show proof of, an oral health exam. The California Department of Education requires a dental health screening to register for school. By the time California’s children reach 3rd grade, 70% have tooth decay, causing them to miss 51 million hours of school! One in five kindergartners have more than 7 cavities. More than half of California kindergartners have dental decay, which has become the most common chronic disease in children today. This staggering statistic is more widespread than childhood obesity, asthma, and diabetes. Childhood dental tooth decay is four times more common than early childhood obesity, five times more common than asthma and 20 times more common than diabetes. Cavities indicate a bacterial imbalance which can be a sign of serious health issues. Pain, lack of sleep, and poor nutrition are symptoms of undetected dental problems that can slow a child's progress in school.