Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Herald & Review | Local News:Program to fill children's dental health needs

In fluoridation-mandated Illinois:

Herald & Review | Local News:Program to fill children's dental health needs: "The Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation, a grant-making organization, will invest at least $20 million over the next five years in targeted efforts to give children increased access to oral health care services."

"Tooth decay is one of the biggest problems plaguing children. Studies show 55 percent of third-graders in Illinois have some tooth decay and 30 percent have 'significant' tooth decay, with the most being from low-income families."

"The first step for the healthcare foundation's new initiative will be to increase the number of oral health professionals caring for underserved children"

"'We know what it takes to fix this; it's not like a new disease,' Kerr added. 'It's a question of rallying up the forces and building systems to put in place for kids that don't have access.'"