Kentucky

Survey: Kentucky children’s dental decay rates surpass national average

Published

1 year ago

November 7, 2024

Survey: Kentucky children’s dental decay rates surpass national average

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 7, 2024) — The University of Kentucky College of Dentistry’s 2023 Kentucky Early Learners’ Oral Health Surveillance Project survey found dental decay rates for Kentucky children ages 2 through 5 are significantly higher than the national average. 

The survey, funded by the Kentucky Department of Public Health, evaluated the prevalence of dental decay and treatment needs among children and identified populations most at-risk in the Commonwealth.  This is one of the largest state-level oral health surveys of children in Pre-K and Head Start programs ever conducted.

“The oral health of young children is essential to health equity as it not only sets the trajectory for oral health across the lifespan but also influences an individual’s overall health and development,” Stein said. 

Project team members screened 6,660 kids across 106 Kentucky counties. Local dental hygienists were hired to serve as screeners and coordinate project efforts at the regional levels. Screeners contacted daycares and Head Start programs in their area. If the daycare or Head Start facilities agreed, screenings were scheduled for the children.  

The screeners were trained to standardize their identification of treated decay (cavities that already had fillings) and untreated decay. If a child was identified to have untreated decay the screener classified the severity of decay and determined the urgency of when the child should receive treatment. 

Each child’s screening results were documented on a report card and sent to their parents/guardians. All report cards contained referral information for local dentists and contact information for the regional coordinator for parents to contact for assistance if their child was identified as needing dental care. 

The project team concluded that dental decay rates for Kentucky children ages 2 through 5 are considerably higher than the national average and were comparable to the highest risk group in the U.S. which is children living at or below 100% poverty. 

Multiple, interconnected demographic, geographic and social factors influence tooth decay rates among the children screened. Region was the strongest association for untreated decay followed by age, facility type and rural location.  

Additional findings show race, ethnicity and fewer economic resources compounded risk for dental decay. Higher decay rates were found in children attending rural Head Start facilities and Black children in poor ZIP codes in Jefferson County.

The data from this survey should impact the dental care of young Kentucky children in the future. At a state-wide conference to discuss survey findings on Nov. 1, community and health leaders from across the state discussed strategies to reduce the level of dental decay in our youngest Kentuckians.

“The University of Kentucky College of Dentistry has a statewide mission to increase oral health care access for all Kentuckians,” said Jeff Okeson, D.M.D., professor and dean of the College of Dentistry. “The survey’s findings can help guide and refine our continued efforts in reducing dental disease in children as a part of that mission. It’s just as important to educate everyone about good oral health practices as it is to improve access to oral health care.”

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends that children see a pediatric dentist and get established when the first tooth appears, or no later than their first birthday, and continue every six months with preventive care. 

However, most children start going to the dentist too late, and it usually is due to complaints of pain associated with decay. Although dental decay is a preventable disease, it remains the most common chronic childhood disease, approximately four times more prevalent than childhood asthma. 

Other data collected from UK Dentistry’s mobile programs for preschool-aged and school-aged children have seen tooth decay rates decline over the years and could be an effective early intervention toward improved oral health that necessitates further examination.    

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Kentucky

Lexington veteran’s remains found in Indiana park

Published

5 hours ago

April 2, 2026

Press Room

Lexington veteran’s remains found in Indiana park

CLARKSVILLE, In. (WKYT) — The remains of a Kentucky veteran who was the subject of a Green Alert were found in a park.

The remains of Jyronna Dione Parker, 54, were found March 22 by officers from the Clarksville Police Department. His body was found in Ashland Park on the river’s shoreline.

Jyronna Dione Parker, 54.(Lexington Police Dept.)

In late 2025, a Green Alert was issued for Parker. This alert was cancelled by the Lexington Police department after they determined he was not at risk.

Despite the cancellation of the alert, Parker had been reported missing from Lexington since Oct 17.

What is a Green Alert?

Under Kentucky law, a Green Alert is issued when a veteran at risk goes missing. It’s designed to help first responders and the public locate missing veterans who may be in danger by quickly notifying emergency management agencies, search and rescue teams, and local media outlets.

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Kentucky

Kentucky legislature passes bill shrinking JCPS board to 5 members

Published

17 hours ago

April 1, 2026

Press Room

Kentucky legislature passes bill shrinking JCPS board to 5 members

FRANKFORT, Ky. — A revamped bill unveiled late on the final day to pass legislation in the 2026 Kentucky General Assembly with the ability to later override a veto would significantly alter the makeup of Louisville’s public school board.

The new Senate Bill 4 would cut the number of seats on the Jefferson County Board of Education from seven to five. It includes an emergency clause, meaning it would go into effect immediately if passed — Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Middletown, who introduced the new bill in the House, said the legislation includes new district maps to be used when voters head to the ballot box this year but added JCPS would be able to redraw its own maps after that.

The bill passed in the House on a 72-21 vote mostly along party lines, with three Republicans (Rep. Vanessa Grossl, R-Georgetown, Rep. Patrick Flannery, R-Olive Hill, and Rep. Kim Holloway, R-Mayfield) joining Democrats in opposition.

It quickly passed 25-7 in the Senate a few minutes later, with Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, and Sen. Robin Webb, R-Grayson, joining Democrats in voting no.

A copy of the bill was not immediately available.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Stephen West, R-Paris, originally aimed to create a principal leadership and mentorship program. But after changes in the House, new provisions were added that would affect the makeup of boards for large school districts, including Jefferson County Public Schools and Fayette County Public Schools.

SB 4 is one of many education bills introduced this session, several of which have specifically targeted JCPS. Senate Bill 1, also passed on April 1, gives more power to JCPS’s superintendent while requiring the board to focus on long-term strategies.

The bills come as JCPS navigates an ongoing financial crisis, with a $188 million shortfall expected in the next budget. Prior to the revisions, the SB 4 would have required two new members with “expertise in finance” to be appointed by the state treasurer, Republican Mark Metcalf. That provision was removed during deliberations between the House and Senate.

In an interview after the votes, board Vice-Chair James Craig told The Courier Journal a five-member board “has made sense to me for a number of reasons.” It’s in line with every other district in the state, he said, and it can be difficult to find qualified candidates who have the bandwidth in their lives to devote enough effort to do the job right.

“I think given the realities of what the legislature could have done, how other districts are governed and the challenges that we’ve faced, Senate Bill 4 reflects a compromise that should be workable,” Craig said. “… But I have significant concerns about Senate Bill 1 and the way it interacts with Senate Bill 4.”

Lawmakers have listened to concerns he and other education advocates have raised, he said, removing some of the “problematic provisions” that had been floated as ones that could be included in SB 1. But the bill takes power from the elected board, he noted, and gives it to an unelected superintendent — in Louisville’s case, he added, someone who is “new to the city of Louisville in the last year.” JCPS Superintendent Brian Yearwood testified against SB 1 earlier this session in Frankfort.

“In my opinion, voters in the city of Louisville do not want a super-empowered superintendent. They want a democratically elected Board of Education that is accountable to them,” Craig added.

Board members will have a discussion with their attorney about potentially challenging SB 1 in court, he said. A similar bill passed in 2022 was struck down late last year by the state Supreme Court after previously being upheld by the high court.

JCPS leaders and board members have raised concerns about the earlier iteration of SB 4 and the removal of two board positions. Three members of JCPS board — Craig, Chair Corrie Shull and Linda Duncan — are scheduled to be up for reelection in November.

Craig does not plan to run again this year, he added.

“Eight years of intense, uncompensated public service have been fulfilling,” he wrote in a text message. “It is time for me to return to the full time practice of law.”

This story will be updated.

Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com. Reach reporter Keely Doll at kdoll@courierjournal.com or follow her on X at @keely_doll.

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Kentucky

Final gargoyle returned to its perch atop rehabbed Kentucky cathedral modeled after Notre Dame

Published

1 day ago

April 1, 2026

Press Room

Final gargoyle returned to its perch atop rehabbed Kentucky cathedral modeled after Notre Dame

COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The last stone gargoyle has been returned to its perch as part of a two-year restoration of a Kentucky cathedral with a facade modeled after Notre Dame in Paris.

The rehab project at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption was sorely needed to repair deteriorated stone, metal and glass that adorns the limestone exterior. The project included 32 recreated gargoyles along with repairs of deteriorated finials, arches and balustrades.

The 125-year-old church, in Covington just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, offers the experience of a European gothic cathedral in the Midwest, said the Very Rev. Ryan Maher, the cathedral’s rector. The cathedral has an “intimate connection to what is really the most popular and most well-known cathedral outside of Rome itself,” he said.

“I think it’s very special and very unique,” said Maher, who watched from the sidewalk as the last gargoyle was raised to top of the facade on Monday.

The renovation price tag was nearly $8 million, and most came from donations, Maher said.

Brian Walter, CEO of Trisco Systems, the contractor, said the final gargoyle going in was “a symbol of the accomplishment of all our facade work.”

“That’s a big, monumental occasion for not only people here, but for us. That kind of symbolized the last stone we’re putting in,” Walter said.

Restoration plans grew out of Maher’s discovery in 2018 of a large piece of stone that fell from the exterior.

“We realized at that time that we needed to investigate not only the source of that one piece of stone that had fallen, but to take a look at the overall facade of the cathedral,” Maher said.

Workers will continue with smaller tasks around the facade, including the installation of chimeras that sit on the roofline, but the heavy lifting has been completed, Walter said.

“This is kind of a once or twice in a lifetime project,” Walter said.

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