A state funding cut will likely eliminate a program that provides free dental sealants for elementary school children, the Skagit County Public Health Department reported.

The 12-year-old program brings dentists into 14 elementary schools around the county to provide dental exams for second-graders. Children who need them also receive a sealant to protect their molars from cavities.

Caries, or cavities, are the most common chronic disease in children, county Public Health Educator Kim VanEpps said.

“We see a lot of kids in second grade who haven’t been to any kind of provider before,” VanEpps said Tuesday when she told county commissioners about the funding cut.

The program will continue for one more school year, Health Department Director Peter Browning said, even though the state is reducing the county’s funding from $32,000 to $18,000.

Kulshan Pediatric Dentistry, which provides two dentists to the program, has said it is willing to work for less money for one year to continue the program, Browning said.

Mary Nelson, a receptionist at Kulshan’s Mount Vernon office, said the service is important, especially for children without insurance.

“The exams are probably just as valuable as the sealants,” Nelson said.

Skagit County was on the short end of a redistribution of funds that helped counties that had been receiving less money for oral health, state health officials said.

“We understand people get frustrated, but most of the (local health jurisdictions) are very happy about it,” said Joseli Alves-Dunkerson, the supervisor of the state’s oral health program. “Everyone is getting their fair share, and that’s important.”

Alves-Dunkerson said the state Department of Health cautions local health directors who begin the relatively costly sealant programs to make sure they can maintain them. The reduced funding could be spent on less expensive programs, such as oral health education or the development of a strategic plan for dental care in the county, she said.

“(Browning) needs to prioritize the needs of his county,” Alves-Dunkerson said.