USA - Appalachia heart of poor dental health
Appalachia heart of poor dental health
Dr. Dan Brody yanks out the last of Dreama Jordan’s teeth. Tooth loss isn’t just a West Virginia problem. Kentucky, where Jordan lives, and Tennessee also have a high proportion of older adults without teeth.
By Eric Eyre
Staff writer
LOUISA, Ky. — Thomas Reed’s daughter won an award for the prettiest smile at her Louisa, Ky., school.
Reed admits he would never win such an honor. He hasn’t been to a dentist since he was a boy. He never flosses his teeth, seldom brushes. He has chronic gum disease. “We’re going to do a full mouth extraction today,” Dr. Dan Brody informed Reed after having a quick look in his mouth at a Valley Health dental clinic in Wayne County, just across the river from Louisa.
Dreama Jordan, who also lives in Louisa, has been walking the floor in pain the past two nights.
“I have a plate, but I couldn’t get it in my mouth today, it was swollen so bad,” said Jordan, who has 10 teeth left.
Poor oral health isn’t a problem exclusive to West Virginia. Reed and Jordan, both 45, live in Kentucky, a state that had the highest proportion of people without teeth in 2002. West Virginia surpassed Kentucky in 2004, the last year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has collected data on tooth loss. Oral disease seems to be most prevalent in Appalachian states. Kentucky has the second highest rate of tooth loss among older adults, followed by Tennessee. In the Deep South, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi also have high rates of oral disease. Oklahoma is another state with few people going to the dentist and large numbers without teeth............
Appalachian states. [99.6% fluoridated] NYSCOF
Dr. Dan Brody yanks out the last of Dreama Jordan’s teeth. Tooth loss isn’t just a West Virginia problem. Kentucky, where Jordan lives, and Tennessee also have a high proportion of older adults without teeth.
By Eric Eyre
Staff writer
LOUISA, Ky. — Thomas Reed’s daughter won an award for the prettiest smile at her Louisa, Ky., school.
Reed admits he would never win such an honor. He hasn’t been to a dentist since he was a boy. He never flosses his teeth, seldom brushes. He has chronic gum disease. “We’re going to do a full mouth extraction today,” Dr. Dan Brody informed Reed after having a quick look in his mouth at a Valley Health dental clinic in Wayne County, just across the river from Louisa.
Dreama Jordan, who also lives in Louisa, has been walking the floor in pain the past two nights.
“I have a plate, but I couldn’t get it in my mouth today, it was swollen so bad,” said Jordan, who has 10 teeth left.
Poor oral health isn’t a problem exclusive to West Virginia. Reed and Jordan, both 45, live in Kentucky, a state that had the highest proportion of people without teeth in 2002. West Virginia surpassed Kentucky in 2004, the last year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has collected data on tooth loss. Oral disease seems to be most prevalent in Appalachian states. Kentucky has the second highest rate of tooth loss among older adults, followed by Tennessee. In the Deep South, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi also have high rates of oral disease. Oklahoma is another state with few people going to the dentist and large numbers without teeth............
Appalachian states. [99.6% fluoridated] NYSCOF
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