Ohio is 89% fluoridated: "About 28 percent of 3- to 5-year-olds in Head Start programs have untreated cavities; by third grade, more than 50 percent of children have tooth decay."

"Lindy Cree, president of the Dental Center of Northwest Ohio, said her staff sees children and teens every day who are suffering severe pain and embarrassment from decay, abscesses and gum disease. Sometimes, the problem is money; other times, it's a family's lack of awareness."

Either way, the children pay.

"They don't know that it shouldn't hurt to eat," Cree said. "But a cavity doesn't heal itself."

Group pushing dental care for Ohio's kids | The Columbus Dispatch: