USA - A National Call to Action to Promote Oral Health
“Oral health is essential to general health and well-being at every stage of life.”
A National Call to Action to Promote Oral Health Office of the U.S. Surgeon General
Oral Health Problems: Painful, Costly, and Preventable
Mouth and throat diseases, which range from cavities to cancer, cause pain and disability for millions of Americans each year. This fact is disturbing because almost all oral diseases can be prevented.
For children, cavities are a common problem that begins at an early age. Tooth decay affects more than one-fourth of U.S. children aged 2–5 and half of those aged 12–15. Low-income children are hardest hit: about half of those aged 6–19 have untreated decay. Untreated cavities can cause pain, dysfunction, absence from school, underweight, and poor appearance—problems that can greatly reduce a child’s capacity to succeed in life.
Tooth decay is also a problem for U.S. adults, especially for the increasing number of older adults who have retained most of their teeth. Despite this increase in tooth retention, tooth loss remains a problem among older adults. One fourth of adults over age 60 have lost all of their teeth—primarily because of tooth decay, which affects more than 90% of adults over age 40, and advanced gum disease, which affects 5%–15% of adults. Tooth loss can affect self-esteem, and it may contribute to nutrition problems by limiting the types of food that a person can eat.
In addition, oral cancers pose a threat to the health of U.S. adults. In 2006, an estimated 31,000 people will learn that they have mouth or throat cancer, and more than 7,400 will die of these diseases.
In 2006, Americans made about 500 million visits to dentists, and an estimated $94 billion was spent on dental services. Yet many children and adults still go without measures that have been proven effective in preventing oral diseases and reducing dental care costs. For example, over 100 million Americans still do not have access to water that contains enough fluoride to protect their teeth, even though the per capita cost of water fluoridation over a person’s lifetime is less than the cost of one dental filling................
A very long report - they of course want more fluoridation despite evidence it does not make much difference in the under privileged group. Fluoride mouth wash, fluoride toothpaste and then sealents on top.
Better to improve diet, less sweets, sugar and fizzy drinks. Then not only have better teeth but better health.
A National Call to Action to Promote Oral Health Office of the U.S. Surgeon General
Oral Health Problems: Painful, Costly, and Preventable
Mouth and throat diseases, which range from cavities to cancer, cause pain and disability for millions of Americans each year. This fact is disturbing because almost all oral diseases can be prevented.
For children, cavities are a common problem that begins at an early age. Tooth decay affects more than one-fourth of U.S. children aged 2–5 and half of those aged 12–15. Low-income children are hardest hit: about half of those aged 6–19 have untreated decay. Untreated cavities can cause pain, dysfunction, absence from school, underweight, and poor appearance—problems that can greatly reduce a child’s capacity to succeed in life.
Tooth decay is also a problem for U.S. adults, especially for the increasing number of older adults who have retained most of their teeth. Despite this increase in tooth retention, tooth loss remains a problem among older adults. One fourth of adults over age 60 have lost all of their teeth—primarily because of tooth decay, which affects more than 90% of adults over age 40, and advanced gum disease, which affects 5%–15% of adults. Tooth loss can affect self-esteem, and it may contribute to nutrition problems by limiting the types of food that a person can eat.
In addition, oral cancers pose a threat to the health of U.S. adults. In 2006, an estimated 31,000 people will learn that they have mouth or throat cancer, and more than 7,400 will die of these diseases.
In 2006, Americans made about 500 million visits to dentists, and an estimated $94 billion was spent on dental services. Yet many children and adults still go without measures that have been proven effective in preventing oral diseases and reducing dental care costs. For example, over 100 million Americans still do not have access to water that contains enough fluoride to protect their teeth, even though the per capita cost of water fluoridation over a person’s lifetime is less than the cost of one dental filling................
A very long report - they of course want more fluoridation despite evidence it does not make much difference in the under privileged group. Fluoride mouth wash, fluoride toothpaste and then sealents on top.
Better to improve diet, less sweets, sugar and fizzy drinks. Then not only have better teeth but better health.
posted by Bill at
9:57 AM
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