Cephas bill that would facilitate more dental screenings in schools to be signed by Gov. Shapiro
Rep. Morgan B. Cephas December 14, 2023 | 11:54 AM
HARRISBURG, Dec. 14 – State Rep. Morgan Cephas, D-Phila., today announced that Gov. Josh Shapiro will sign her legislation (H.B. 1478), which facilitates more dental screenings in schools, into law.
This is the second bill introduced by Cephas that will have been signed into law in the 2023-24 legislative session.
“I’m excited this is becoming a reality for our students. Aside from when they first enter school and in third and seventh grades, many students go unchecked for years,” Cephas said. “This legislation relaxes current law and will allow school districts flexibility to get more students checked and catch potential dental problems while also preventing future issues down the road.”
Once signed, H.B. 1478 will allow a public dental hygiene practitioner to perform basic dental screenings in public schools. Currently, a dental exam must be performed by a dentist in Pennsylvania.
Poor oral health in children can:
- Lead to painful infections and cavities.
- Result in missing more school and lower grades, directly impacting their educational journey.
- Affect their overall development, speech and eating habits.
“Children with poor oral health status were nearly three times more likely than were their counterparts to miss school as a result of dental pain, which further creates an urgency to fill the gaps in our overall dental system,” Cephas said. “I’m grateful my colleagues understood the importance of this bill and the urgency to get this passed and signed into law.”
Cephas said she expects H.B. 1478 to be signed into law soon. Her announcement comes just hours after the final passage of H.B. 900, also known as Dignity for Incarcerated Women, which she also expects to be signed by the governor in the near future.