New study shows low-income families face 3 barriers to health care

New study shows low-income families face 3 barriers to health care:

"And this was from a parent who is on the Oregon Health Plan: 'It is impossible to find a dentist that will take OHP. The only one I could find is three hours and at least two mountain passes away, making getting there almost impossible, especially in the winter.'"

Pantagraph.com | Health | Survey finds big holes in kids’ dental care

Pantagraph.com | Health | Survey finds big holes in kids’ dental care:

Fluoridation is mandated in Illinois:

"Since when Do you have to have a dental exam to enter 2nd grade? My daughter goes to Glenn and she didn't need one! I would have LOVED Her to need one, we have medicaid and let me tell you, there are a total of 3 dentists in this town that accept medicaid. One is the health department and I will never take my child there after a friend took her 2 year old who didn't want to go back in the room alone, yet the nurse tried to drag him away saying his mother couldn't go, HE WAS TWO! I don't think so... And the other two dental offices are great, but they have waiting lists as long as 2 years, THEY SAY... I have been on the waiting list for my daughter to get in to BOTH dentists since she was 3 1/2 and we moved here... She is 8 now... I call on a bi-weekly basis. Sometimes I've been dropped from the list, others it's still a long wait.. Then suddenly one of those offices has decided they no longer take NEW medicaid patients... SO WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO!? "dropped from the list, others it's still a long wait.. Then suddenly one of those offices has decided they no longer take NEW medicaid patients... SO WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO!? '"

Blackwell Synergy - Commun Dent Oral Epidemiol, Volume 35 Issue 6 Page 439-448, December 2007 (Article Abstract)

Blackwell Synergy - Commun Dent Oral Epidemiol, Volume 35 Issue 6 Page 439-448, December 2007 (Article Abstract):

In fluoridated Detroit, Michigan:"One-third of the children had ECC [cavities], and 20% had severe ECC. "

Press Releases

Press Releases:

"“In Minnesota, 70 percent of low-income children don’t receive any dental care,”"

Something to smile about

Something to smile about:

"With dental fees rising faster than inflation and more than 100 million Americans lacking dental insurance, many people disregard cavities and even more serious problems, to say nothing of preventive dentistry and oral hygiene. 'Dental care is what we ignore when we're low-income,' according to Jane Icely, vice president of programs for Sarasota County at the Senior Friendship Centers."

I-Team: Small Smiles Policies|ABC 7 News

I-Team: Small Smiles Policies|ABC 7 News:

"Miguel’s mother told me how hard it was to FIND a dentist to treat her children. 4 out of 5 dentists won’t take kids on Medicaid because the reimbursement rates are so low, compared to private insurance. And that crisis in dental care remains. That’s what led to the death of Deomonte Driver earlier this year when untreated tooth decay led to an infection in his brain. "

Dental Association says fluoride causing discolored baby teeth | NBC12 | Healthcast

Dental Association says fluoride causing discolored baby teeth | NBC12 | Healthcast: "The American Dental Association says some children are getting to much fluoride and it's causing discoloration in their teeth."

Report Highlights Disparities In Young Children's Health Child Health and Safety

Report Highlights Disparities In Young Children's Health Child Health and Safety: "he report found that 42 per cent of young children in Toronto had never had a dental visit. Further, early childhood tooth decay rose from 9.8 per cent among five-year-old children in 1999/2000 to 11.6 per cent in 2005/2006."

Toronto Ontario Canada is fluoridated

The Standard Democrat

The Standard Democrat: "SIKESTON — Following a national trend, local dentists are seeing an increase of cavities among children in the past several years."

The American Dental Association Awarded Sikeston with their 50 year fluoridation award in 2006. In the words of Dr. Phil "How's that workin' for ya."

Collaboration: Teeth for time | Battle Creek Enquirer - www.battlecreekenquirer.com - Battle Creek, Mich.

Collaboration: Teeth for time | Battle Creek Enquirer - www.battlecreekenquirer.com - Battle Creek, Mich.:

"Battle Creek Health System reports that in 2006, on average more than 100 people a month went to their emergency department for toothaches."

Battle Creek, Michigan is fluoridated

The Republican-American No bite to Husky coverage

The Republican-American No bite to Husky coverage:

"Many of the state's children aren't getting the dental care they need because most dentists won't treat kids on the HUSKY plan. And, advocates say, the 16 community health clinics statewide can't serve all of the 350,000 kids on the state's Medicaid plan, better known as HUSKY. Of the 2,500 dentists in the state, only about 100 will accept children on the HUSKY program because reimbursement rates are so low."

Fluoridation is state-mandated in Connecticut

Eastman Dental Center Unveils New SMILEmobile - URMC Press Room

Eastman Dental Center Unveils New SMILEmobile - URMC Press Room: "SMILEmobile, a dental office on wheels allowing the city’s children increased access to much needed dental care. Until today, the Eastman Dental Center has had three SMILEmobiles serving preschoolers and elementary students by visiting 15 city schools. Thousands of the underserved and uninsured children need dental care because of decay and infection. "

“Rochester’s inner city has the highest child poverty rate in all of New York, and parts of the city have been declared as having a serious shortage of dentists by the federal government,”

Rochester, NY, is fluoridated

Health | Dental center for low-income kids planned | Seattle Times Newspaper

Health | Dental center for low-income kids planned | Seattle Times Newspaper: "Berg said he often sees 2- or 3-year-olds who have more than a dozen cavities. 'There is no disease in children that happens so fast,' Berg said. Untreated dental conditions can lead to serious infections, speech problems, malnutrition and other health problems."

Seattle, Washington is fluoridated

Dr. Hardy Limeback Comes To Alaska To Help Oppose Fluoridation.

Dr. Hardy Limeback Comes To Alaska To Help Oppose Fluoridation.: "Fluoridation causes very expensive-to-fix staining (fluorosis) in at least 30% of those chronically exposed. I recently treated a teen for moderate fluorosis: at the end of the day his parents spent $17,000 on restoring his teeth to a normal appearance. Without fluoride in the water, maybe this kid would have had a half cavity more, which would have cost $200 to fix. Twenty percent caries reduction, in a mouth with 128 dental surfaces, amounts to 1/2 a cavity. So the 20% improvement claim sounds a lot better that it really is."

Hardy Limeback, DDS, PhD, Head of Preventive Dentistry, University of Toronto

More Than a Toothache( The Congress of America will hold a hea...)

More Than a Toothache( The Congress of America will hold a hea...): "In spite of such modern innovations as the fluoridation of drinking water, tooth decay is still the single most common childhood disease nationwide, five times as common as asthma. Poor children are more than twice as likely to have cavities as their more affluent peers, research shows, but far less likely to get treatment. "

The Middletown Press - Native American woman forms nonprofit to help impovershed tribe

The Native American woman forms nonprofit to help impovershed tribe:

"'It's literally, [according to the] U.S. census, the poorest place in America,Ripley said.
Ripley said the tribe has poor health, and little access to dental services, leading to many pulled teeth instead of proper repair work. The only part-time dentist works on one side of the reservation. Traveling there is equivalent to going across Connecticut.' " (Middletown, Connecticut where fluoridation is mandated state-wide)

TheStar.com | News | Children's tooth decay on the rise

TheStar.com | In Fluoridated Toronto | Children's tooth decay on the rise:

"11.6% of 5-year-olds had tooth decay in 2005-06, up from 9.8% in 1999-2000 14.6% of 5-year-olds had two or more decayed, untreated teeth in 2005-06, up from 9.9%"

Toronto, Ontario, Canada has been fluoridated for years

Yakima Herald Republic Online - Yakima, Washington News, Classifieds, Information, Advertising

Yakima Herald Republic

While noting that "dentists believe fluoride is very beneficial in preventing cavities," [dentist] Bonny thinks that many children receive adequate amounts of fluoride even if they drink [fluoride-free] bottled water exclusively.

Bonny adds, "If I had to choose between bottled water without fluoride and a bottle of sugary juice for a child, I'd go with the bottled water every time."

Evening Sun - Center: Dental 'crisis' in Hanover

Evening Sun - Center: Dental 'crisis' in Hanover: "Close to 8,000 people in the Hanover area go without dental care despite being eligible for Medicaid, according to statistics from a local medical center."

Dental_Services_in_Medicaid_&_Head_Start.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Dental_Services_in_Medicaid_&_Head_Start.pdf (application/pdf Object)

"Nearly 80% of decayed teeth in preschool-age children living in poverty go untreated."