Dental issues have big effects in poor kids | The Columbus Dispatch

Dental issues have big effects in poor kids | The Columbus Dispatch: “Poverty is the underlying cause of both.”

It boils down to lack of access to fresh, healthful foods and to basic dental care.In [fluoridated] Columbus, as in other cities, the areas where many people live in poverty “don’t have large grocery stores. They have quick stops,” said Dr. Dennis McTigue, professor of pediatric dentistry at Ohio State University and spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.“Those places tend to sell processed, high-fat and high-carbohydrate food. When accessing healthy food is difficult, families end up eating the high-carb foods that cause obesity and cavities.”