Americans Cutting Back On Medical Care, Poll Finds : NPR

In America, the birthplace of fluoridation, citizens can't afford the dental care they need and fluoridation didn't stop.

Americans Cutting Back On Medical Care, Poll Finds : NPR:

"According to the survey... 41 percent in Florida say they've skipped dental care

'In previous years, I wouldn't have thought twice about just getting a procedure done if I needed it,' he says. 'And today if I'm faced with spending $500 or $600 to put a crown on a tooth, and if I feel that I can get by — if I could still eat fine without it — then I'm making the decision, hey, I'm just not going to get that procedure done.'"

Lining Up For Free Dental Care, With 1/3 Of Americans Lacking Dental Insurance, Free Clinics Become The Only Hope For Many - CBS News

Lining Up For Free Dental Care, With 1/3 Of Americans Lacking Dental Insurance, Free Clinics Become The Only Hope For Many - CBS News:

Loveland, Colorado, has been fluoridated since 1954

"But in Loveland, Colo., for two days only, dental care is free."

"One of his first patients is 8-year-old Jericho Rogers, who was up at 2 a.m. to get there.

"He says he hasn't seen a dentist in three or four years - are you surprised by looking at his mouth?" Doane said.

"No, not at all," Fales said. "There's a lot of children running around in the United States that have cavities just like this - and mostly just for lack of good dental insurance coverage."

About 1,500 patients were treated that day - and given more than $1.2 million worth of care

Tooth Decay | KXNet.com North Dakota News

Tooth Decay | KXNet.com North Dakota News:

North Dakota is 96% fluoridated:

"... more and more children throughout the United States are [getting cavities]..North Dakota is no exception.

(Dr. Bryce Goebel/Pediatric Dentist) 'A big part of the problem, why it's such a huge chronic problem affecting children is access to care. The kids that need to be seen and have things done and preventative measure instituted have a really hard time finding someone to provide that care for them."

New Haven Register - Go figure: Connecticut ranks No. 1 in dentist visits, No. 33 in driver knowledge and No. 18 in restaurants per capita

New Haven Register - Connecticut ranks No. 1 in dentist visits,: Connecticut is one of the few states that has required water fluoridation throughout the state for decades.

New York Dentists Buy Laws That Favor Themselves

Accent: Experts say tooth decay in children can lead to serious health problems | decay, serious, experts : Burlington Times News

Accent: Experts say tooth decay in children can lead to serious health problems | decay, serious, experts : Burlington Times News:

The 1995 California fluoridation bill pushed through quietly by the California Dental Association with the assistance with the American Dental Association has not helped the extensive tooth decay occurring in California today:

"About 4,000 of the state's 34,000 active dentists provide 97 percent of all services to Denti-Cal patients, according to the Dental Health Foundation."

Dentists need to be mandated to treat more low-income patients and stop pushing more fluoride into all of us.

Wiley InterScience :: JOURNALS :: American Journal of Physical Anthropology

Wiley InterScience :: JOURNALS :: American Journal of Physical Anthropology:

"In the total sample, however, there were no significant differences between those children drinking optimally fluoridated water and those drinking suboptimally fluoridated water."

Citizens For Missouri's Children < Library

Citizens For Missouri's Children < Library:

In 81% fluoridated Missouri where grant money was used for pamphlets, advertising and other fluoridation expenses :

"Dental Care Availability

* 71% of Missouri dentists do not take MC /Medicaid patients at all.8
* 38% of Missouri's 115 counties have no dentist willing to accept MC /Medicaid patients.9
* CMC conducted a telephone survey in the St. Louis area in February 2000 using a Department of Social Services list of MC /Medicaid dental providers. Only 30% of the dentists in private practice from the list were actually accepting any MC /Medicaid.10"

Dentin Regeneration Employing Novel Hydrogel Systems

Dentin Regeneration Employing Novel Hydrogel Systems:

"In the U.S. alone, over 20 million dental restorations are placed each year, with failure rates of up to 60%"

Dental Center Feels the Bite South Bay Children's Health Clinic struggles to maintain low-cost care - The Daily Breeze

Dental Center Feels the Bite South Bay Children's Health Clinic struggles to maintain low-cost care - The Daily Breeze:

"60 percent of children entering the Los Angeles Unified School District already suffer tooth decay"

Los Angeles California is fluoridated

Dental Supplier Trades at Tempting Discount (Patterson Cos., II-VI, Knight Capital Group, NBTY, Mohawk Industries) at SmartMoney.com

Dental Supplier Trades at Tempting Discount (Patterson Cos., II-VI, Knight Capital Group, NBTY, Mohawk Industries) at SmartMoney.com:

"THE NUMBER OF dentists in America has remained mostly flat since 1990, while the population has increased 22%, reports the New York Times. So while the cost of most goods rises gradually from one year to the next due to inflation, the cost of dental care rose 25% after subtracting for inflation between 1996 and 2004. Meanwhile, around one in three Americans lack dental plans, double the number that lack health plans. Half of all dental spending is out-of-pocket."

News - Alarm grows on kids' dental health - sacbee.com

News - Alarm grows on kids' dental health - sacbee.com: "In Sacramento, Yolo, Amador, El Dorado and Placer counties, about 65 percent of children living in poverty do not have adequate access to dental care, according to the Sacramento District Dental Foundation. Statewide studies have shown that poor access is the result of lack of insurance and a limited number of dentists providing care for uninsured or underinsured patients."

Large portions of Sacramento County, California, are fluoridated

MI News Wire - MDCH Surveys Provide Comprehensive Data On Michigan's Oral Health Workforce

MI News Wire - MDCH Surveys Provide Comprehensive Data On Michigan's Oral Health Workforce:

"The survey also found that the vast majority of Medicaid and uninsured dental patients are seen by a small minority of dental providers.

-- 64 percent of dentists report that none of their patients in a typical month are children covered by Medicaid or MIChild, and 1 percent of survey respondents report seeing an average of 250 or more of these patients each month.

-- 86 percent report that none of their patients in a typical month are adults covered by Medicaid, and one percent of respondents report seeing an average of 60 or more of these patients each month.

-- 75 percent report seeing 20 or fewer uninsured children in a typical month, while one percent of respondents see an average of 300 or more of these patients each month.

-- 75 percent also report seeing 30 or fewer uninsured adults each month, while one percent of respondents see an average of 500 or more of these patients each month.

According to Dr. Sheila Semler, oral health director at MDCH, "Dental access remains a serious issue in Michigan. With the slowing economy, reduction in Medicaid reimbursement for dental procedures, and a workforce that is focused on private practice, dental care for the economically disadvantaged and minority populations is almost non-existent."

Michigan is 86% Fluoridated