Did You Know?

Dental Health Foundation.  "Mommy, It Hurts to Chew"  The California Smile Survey An Oral Heath Assessment of California's Kindergarten and 3rd Grade Children. February 2006
A survey of the dental health of California children in kindergarten and 3rd grade was conducted in 186 randomly selected elementary schools throughout the state.  By third grade, over 70% of the children had a history of tooth decay. More than a quarter of those children were untreated, and about 4% of the children were in pain or had an abscess.  One third of low income children had untreated decay compared to about one-fifth of higher income children.  The neglect of these children's oral health resulted in many documented problems:  pain, infection, nutrition problems due to difficulty chewing, premature loss of baby teeth, sleep deprivation, difficulty paying attention in school, slower social development due to the ugly appearance of teeth and poor speech, more missed school days, and higher cost to the taxpayer for dental care of severe oral problems, as well as the employment and social problems of young adults with missing/severely damaged teeth.