NewsOK.com | Powered by The Oklahoman and NEWS 9:

Oklahoma is 75% fluoridated:

"Many Oklahoma children have tooth decay and dental diseases that cause daily pain, sleepless nights and facial swelling. Because of those problems, they also have trouble learning, according to an ongoing study by the state Health Department and University of Oklahoma.

About 500 third-grade students were involved in the study’s first phase.

Initial findings showed that, on average, every third-grade child in Oklahoma has 2.8 teeth that are decayed or have been decayed. Nearly 70 percent of third-graders have had some dental problem - at least one permanent or primary tooth decayed, missing or filled.

Slightly more than 40 percent had untreated tooth decay. Oklahoma’s rate for dental decay was higher than the eight other states that conducted oral health assessments of third-graders: Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Vermont, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire and Oregon.

The percentage of Oklahoma third-graders with tooth decay was 69.4 percent higher than any of the other states, according to the study."