Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment (KOHA) Resources

Dental disease is one of the most common reasons for school absences. It can make it difficult for children to concentrate and learn. Maintaining a healthy mouth is essential for children to perform well in school.

To ensure a child is ready for school, California law AB 1433, signed into law in 2006, and AB2630, signed into law in 2024, requires that a child have an oral health assessment or dental check-up in their first year in public school:

• Transitional kindergarten (TK)
• Kindergarten or
• First grade

A completed Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment (KOHA) by a licensed dental professional meets this requirement.

The KOHA helps schools identify children suffering from untreated dental disease and assists parents in establishing a dental home for their children. KOHA data also enables the County and providers to prioritize areas for linkage to dental care services, oral health education initiatives, family engagement, and increased access initiatives.

More information:

• Children’s Oral Health Matters for School Success-Center for Healthy Communities
• Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment Requirement – CDA
• Oral Health Notification Letter-July 2022
• Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment Form-July 2022
• Waiver of Oral Health Assessment Requirement Form- July 2022
• Multilingual KOHA Assessment/Waiver Request Forms-CDE

School districts play an important role in the Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment (KOHA). Office staff, nurses, and health clerks help ensure families have the KOHA completed, returned to their child’s school, and report KOHA outcomes by submitting the required data to the System for California Oral Health Reporting (SCOHR) online database.

In Orange County, there are 27 school districts and charter schools that are required to report KOHA data. During the 2019-20 & 2021-22 school years, only 10 schools and 2 charter schools reported KOHA data. Orange County school districts reported oral health assessment data for 14.2% of all kindergarten students. This was the lowest percentage among all counties in Southern California, including Los Angeles (44.8%), Riverside (33.7%), San Bernardino (21.3%), Ventura (39.7%), and San Diego (30.1%).

Congratulations, OC School Districts!

For the 2024-2025 school year, 25 of 27 school districts submitted oral health assessment data into SCOHR. OC school districts also reported oral health assessment data for 56.0% of all kindergarten students enrolled, with an increase of oral health assessment data from 14.2% (2021-22) to 56.0% (2024-25) of all kindergarten students.

KOHA Reporting Resources

• “New’ AB-2630 Pupil Health: Oral Health Assessment (TK)
• KOHA Data Collection Tools for Inputting into SCOHR
• 2025 SCOHR Quick Input Data Form Template
• Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment Resources-COHTAC
• System for California Oral Health Reporting Database (SCOHR)

More information:

• KOHA School Timeline Quick Reference
• Overview of KOHA Reporting in Orange County
• KOHA Requirement Update, 04/19/2023-CDE
• SCOHR AB 1433 User Manual
• San Mateo County Health-KOHA Resources
• KOHA Requirement – CDPH: Office of Oral Health
• Care Coordination Referral Form for Medi-Cal Members-DHCS

According to the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS),  351,000 children and teens missed at least one or more days of school due to dental problems in the past year (asked in 2022).

Developing good dental health habits at an early age, including regular dental visits, can help a child’s attendance, school grades, and a lifetime of healthy smiles. Help promote and reinforce the benefits of good oral health in childhood.

Click on the links below to view oral health and school readiness resources from Smile, California:

• Resources for members
• Resources for partners
• Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment (KOHA)
• Healthy Children are Ready to Learn Video

Page Updated 04.29.26