As children head back to school in California, experts urge parents to bring them in for a physical and check their hearing, vision, and teeth.

A study from the Urban Institute found that almost one in five parents delayed or skipped their children's preventive visits during the pandemic, so now is the time to catch up.

Dr. Erin Shah, a pediatric dentist in the Bay Area, said dental problems are linked to absenteeism.

"Kids with dental problems are three times more likely to miss school than their peers without dental problems," Shah explained. "Last time they tallied the amount of missed school hours, they tallied more than 51 million school hours lost to dental-related illness for school-age children each year."

The American Optometric Association recommends that children get their first comprehensive eye exam before their first birthday, right before kindergarten, and if no issues are detected, every two years after. Experts also recommended that children keep their device screens at least 30 inches away and advise taking a break from the screen every 20 minutes to train their eyes on something at least 20 feet away.

Dr. Donna O'Shea, national chief medical officer of population health for UnitedHealthcare, pointed out that regular hearing tests are also a must.

"Like vision and dental, early detection of hearing issues is crucial for getting treatment as soon as possible," O'Shea advised. "That's important because hearing loss can affect a child's ability to develop speech, language, and social skills."

O'Shea recommends young people follow the "60-60 rule," which means only using earbuds or headphones for less than 60 minutes at no more than 60% of the player's maximum volume. 

Disclosure: United Healthcare contributes to our fund for reporting on Health Issues. 

By Suzanne Potter