As millions of children head back to school, the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics remind parents to include an oral health assessment by a dentist as part of the routine back-to-school health examination.

Most parents don't realize that tooth decay is an infectious bacterial disease for which there is no immunization. It is second only to the common cold in prevalence. It remains the most common, chronic disease of children and is a key cause of unnecessary tooth loss in youth.

However, tooth decay is preventable. Just like hand washing can prevent the spread of disease, brushing, flossing and seeing the dentist regularly can prevent tooth decay caused by dental bacteria.

Unfortunately, more than half of all 5 to 9-year-olds have at least one cavity or filling. When a child has serious tooth decay, it can affect overall health and lead to problems in eating, speaking, concentrating and even cause school absences. More than 51 million school hours are lost each year to dental-related illness.

Children need and deserve to arrive on the first day of school healthy and ready to learn. Make sure all health examination and necessary immunizations are completed in time for the new school year.

For more information on many oral health topics, visit the ADA's official website at www.ada.org.

Josie Dovidio, DDS, provides family dentistry at 2045 Royal Ave., Ste. 230 in Simi Valley. She can be reached at (805) 522-9242 or josiedds@yahoo.com.

After graduating from North- western University's School of Dentistry, she completed advanced training at the Veterans Adminis- tration Medical Center in North Hills, where she served as chief dental resident. Her teaching ex- perience includes clinical instruc- tion at the UCLA School of Den- tistry and Pasadena City College's dental hygiene program.