The topic I chose to speak on this week is dental health. Proper dental hygiene can be just as equally important as nutrition for healthy development in children. I used to work for the local Boys and Girls Club. Part of my job was to educate families on the importance of oral hygiene. I feel all too often good oral hygiene is put to the side either because of simply not knowing the importance of the effects that it can have an a child or lack of coverage in that a family is underinsured or uninsured.
“Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease in the U.S., five times more common than asthma. Untreated, tooth decay causes pain and can lead to infections. Untreated tooth decay and other oral diseases interfere with a child’s ability to eat, sleep and speak and can make it hard to learn or even play.”
With the help of programs such as Colgate's Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Education and Mobile Van Reaches Millions of Children Every Year
The word is spreading quickly and dental hygiene is increasing around the world as service providers increase.
http://www.colgate.com/app/Colgate/US/Corp/CommunityPrograms/Bsbf.cvsp
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month
Emily, thanks for the post. I have never thought about tooth decay as a major complant. Thanks for bringing this to light for me.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up my mom made sure that we visited the dentist every 6 months. Checkups throughout the year were just as normal as our yearly visit to the pediatrician. I was pretty fortunate not to have severe cavities but I can only imagine how the pain from some might interfere with a child's ability to sleep or concentrate in school.
ReplyDeleteIn the particular dental program that I was responsible for we also educated parents on the importance of taking care of their child's gums and new teeth. We expressed the importance of not putting a baby down to sleep with a bottle as this may cause cavities as well.
My own children have used the mobile dentist where we live. The child development center where they go bring them to the center every six months. Which is really nice when families can't get seen by a dentist.
ReplyDeleteIn my community there was a dental task force that developed a community dental home. It is housed in the local salvation army. Anyone can go there to have dental work done. They take people with insurance and without insurance. It is a wonderful addition to our community because the nearest dentist that takes the Access card, which is the insurance through the public welfare, and see children under 3 years of age, is two to three hours away in another county. Most families would not travel that far just to get their child's teeth checked. It took almost five years for this project to finally be completed but it is been well worth the wait.
I think that is a great idea to have a mobile dentist. From my experience not only was insurance a factor that deterred families from receiving care but also transportation and the distance that they would have to travel to find a provider that accepted their coverage.
ReplyDeleteEmily,
ReplyDeleteGreat topic!! My mom took me and my siblings to the dentist every 6 months as well and as a result, I did the same for my daughter. However, it's unfortunate that many children hardly ever see a dentist until they are experiencing pain. I currenty, have a few students in my class with rotten teeth in the front and its sad. Parents definitely need to be educated on dental health and the negative effects that it can have on children. I also believe the dental health insurance should be provided for all children.
The unfortunate part of a child's first experience being due to serious cavities is that it isn't a pleasant visit and it usually results in the child developing a fear for the dentist.
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