Fluoridation Fails Michigan

90.2% of Michigan is fluoridated where

• More than one-third of all Michigan seniors have lost six or more natural teeth due to tooth decay or gum disease. Low-income seniors are more than three times as likely to have lost six or more teeth from tooth decay and/or gum disease. 

•  Sixty-six percent of third-graders in the Upper Peninsula had a history of dental decay in their primary and/or permanent teeth, compared with 56 percent statewide. 

• Years of studies, reports and task forces show us there is no one
  solution to this problem. But one strategy that hasn't been tried in
  Michigan yet is adding mid-level dental providers to our state's
  workforce to expand access to care.

 Commentary: Allowing 'dental therapists' in Michigan will expand access to oral care | MLive.com:

Fluoridation Fails Rhode Island

Rhode Island is 84% fluoridated:  “The significant level of patient turnout for the five-year milestone clinic highlights the continuing need for access to affordable oral health care in Rhode Island,” said Dr. Jeffrey Dodge, DMD, Mission of Mercy co-chair

Mission of Mercy Dental Clinic 

Between 2012 and 2015, the Rhode Island Mission of Mercy free dental clinic has treated 3,281 patients between the ages of one and 91.

Since it began and through 2015, the two-day clinic has provided $1,790,228 worth of dental services and more than 12,400 procedures, including:

• 1,421 fillings
• 2,011 extractions
• 1,729 cleanings, sealants and fluoride treatments
• 114 root canals
• 336 removable partial dentures and denture repairs

 GoLocalProv | RI Oral Health Foundation’s Free Dental Clinic Serves Over 720 Patients:





 In 2015  Misc. Facts
231 Patients arrived in pain
Average time in pain, 66 days
94% of patients had no dental insurance
41% of patients had not seen a dentist in over 2 years
32% of patients needed more dental work

 http://www.rimom.org/2015-Event-Summary.pdf