Oral diseases affect not only the teeth, gums and the rest of the mouth, they can also lead to much more serious general health problems, as well as significant pain, interference with eating, poor self-image, overuse of emergency rooms and loss of valuable school and work time. In some cases, untreated oral diseases have resulted in death. The study compared findings for California children with those of school-age children in the U.S., and found California children have much higher rates of oral disease than U.S. children did as long as 10 years ago. Waiting until oral diseases appear and then treating them will never control this epidemic. We need to prevent these diseases from ever occurring.
Oral diseases are almost entirely preventable.
We have the resources and the technology to address this problem. One very effective preventive procedure available to us is dental sealants. Sealants are plastic coatings applied to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth to protect them against decay. Over 80 percent of all tooth decay occurs on those surfaces. In states such as Ohio, where the state health department and the dental profession have worked together to actively promote sealants, the percentage went from 11 percent to 26 percent in just six years.