Four years ago, a Centers for Disease Control survey found that one in four Latino children between the ages of six and nine suffered from untreated tooth decay. Now in Pennsylvania, there’s some good news worth smiling about — more Latino children eligible for preventative dental care under Medicaid are having their teeth checked.

According to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, dental care for all Medicaid-enrolled children in Pennsylvania has increased, but most dramatically for Latino children. In 2005, just 33 percent of Latino children in Medicaid were receiving dental care to clean their teeth, receive fluoride treatment and prevent cavities. Now, 61 percent of Latino children in Medicaid are getting those checkups, 58 percent of Black children, 63 percent of Asian children and 51 percent of white children in Medicaid.

In 2008, the Public Health Management Corporation surveyed families in Southeastern Pennsylvania on children’s dental care. The report found that Black and Latino children were less likely than white children to have dental care. More than 1 in 10 Latino children hadn’t been to the dentist in a year or more. Of those families whose children hadn’t visited the dentists, 20 percent were enrolled in Medicaid, while 40 percent had no insurance whatsoever.

While the percentage of children enrolled in programs like CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Pennsylvania) and Medicaid has been increasing over the past decade, the number of uninsured children has not dropped. Nearly 1 in 20 children across the state remain uninsured.

Those who qualify can apply for Medicaid and CHIP any time throughout the year, while others can enroll in insurance plans offered through HealthCare.gov through Feb. 15, 2015, including dental.