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Kailee Engel
Healthy Lifestyles PHLT 1568
Oral Health-Reduce the number of children with decaying primary (baby) teeth
Spring 2017
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Oral health does not only affect appearance and a sense of well-being, it also determines

your overall health. Oral health has been linked with other chronic diseases, like diabetes and

heart disease. It is also linked with risk behaviors like using tobacco and eating and drinking

foods and beverages high in sugar (CDC, 2014). Worldwide, 60–90% of school children and

nearly 100% of adults have dental cavities (WHO, 2012). Statistics show that “about 1 of 5

(20%) children aged 5 to 11 years have at least one untreated decayed tooth while 1 of 7 (13%)

adolescents aged 12 to 19 years have at least one untreated decayed tooth. The percentage of

children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years with untreated tooth decay is twice as high for those

from low-income families (25%) compared with children from higher-income households

(11%)” (CDC, 2014). These issues can be eradicated with the simple use of floss and a tooth

brush. There are many factors however, that contribute to the decay of primary teeth as in sugary

beverages, fatty foods, and poor exercise health.

Untreated tooth decay in childhood can cause pain along with infections that can lead to

problems with eating, speaking, playing, and even learning. Any type of developmental delay

early in childhood can drastically change the outcome of a child’s life and put them at higher risk

for other health problems that could have been prevented. The President of the United States

should care about preserving primary teeth in children because it will lessen the amount of

governmental money spent on repairing these teeth that will eventually fall out. Most of the

children affected by decaying primary teeth are from low-income families and are most likely on

state insurance thus if it is prevented then less governmental money will be used to treat this

issue.

There have been numerous studies done to prove the safety and efficiency of fluoride in

water. Drinking fluoridated water keeps teeth strong and reduces tooth decay by about 25% in
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children as well as adults. By preventing tooth decay, community water fluoridation has been

shown to save money for families and for the US health care system (CDC, 2016). This is

another simple way that dental health for primary teeth can be increased.

There are many factors that poor oral health can determine in our children’s future. “High

relative risk of oral disease relates to socio-cultural determinants such as poor living conditions;

low education; lack of traditions, beliefs and culture in support of oral health” (WHO, 2017).

These are key components in any culture around the world but especially in America. Our nation

is suffering in ways that a first world should not suffer. We should not have such a high rate of

primary tooth decay and it will only get worse with time and no change to diet, exercise, and

health priorities. The statistics are staggering and almost unbelievable. How can we as a nation

have let it get this far without concern for the health of our precious children? Knowing what we

know now about the importance of oral health we cannot in good conscience let this type of

behavior continue to ruin our livelihood as a nation.

Tooth decay is preventable. Some steps that parents or caregivers can take to prevent

childhood tooth decay of primary teeth is to use a pea-size amount of fluoride toothpaste for 2

years of age and older and if the child is younger than 2 years of age they should ask their

pediatrician or dentist if it is safe to use fluoride toothpaste. Also the caregiver or parent can ask

the pediatrician or dentist to place fluoride varnish on the child’s teeth as soon as the first tooth

appears in the mouth. The dentist can also take precautionary measures and use sealants on the

teeth to prevent decay. Every child should have their first dentist checkup by age 1 as

recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

I believe that the health of the United States is in poor condition and if the country were

to gain a healthier attitude then oral health would follow suit. There are so many things in life
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that can be fixed with simple education. Some rural areas need to be targeted and reached into

because the lack of knowledge or lack of resources is how these children fall victims to poor oral

health. I remember as a child there was a trailer that came from the big cities to place sealants on

all of the children’s teeth for free because we were in a high risk area for primary teeth decay. I

believe that it needs to be resurrected for some towns that have been forgotten. School-based

programs are an effective way to reach millions of children with sealants. The Community

Preventive Services Task Force strongly recommends school-based sealant delivery programs to

prevent cavities among children. In addition, school-based sealant programs can be cost-saving

within 2 years of placing sealants, and delivering sealants to children at high risk for cavities can

be cost-saving to Medicaid (CDC, 2016).

Education about oral health is lacking in the school system and there should be programs

that teach children about their oral health. The United States focuses so much on Math, Science,

English, etc. that fundamentals of life are being overlooked which is putting these children at risk

for complicated diseases that could have been prevented. Working in an emergency department

can give one perspective on how tragic the dental health truly appears. There are many who

cannot see a dentist simply because they cannot afford one. Many times their children are left

behind when it comes to oral health because their parents have poor oral health as well. There

has to be a tipping point. This tipping point has been reached. The nation cannot continue to live

in such decaying waste when it comes to our mouths. Overall, oral health is important when

preventing diseases later in life. If brushing and flossing your child’s teeth is all it takes to

improve their overall health then how can anyone say no, so say yes to oral health and improving

the lives of our next generation.

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References
CDC. (2014, November 10). Children's Oral Health. Retrieved April 01, 2017, from
https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/children_adults/child.htm
CDC. (2016, October 04). Community Water Fluoridation. Retrieved April 03, 2017, from
https://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/index.html
CDC. (2016, November 15). School-Based Dental Sealant Programs. Retrieved April 02, 2017,
from https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/dental_sealant_program/index.htm
WHO. (2012, April). Oral health. Retrieved April 01, 2017, from
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs318/en/
WHO. (2017). Strategies for oral disease prevention and health promotion. Retrieved April 05,
2017, from http://www.who.int/oral_health/strategies/en/