USA - West Virginia dentists propose big changes to state's oral health
West Virginia dentists propose big changes to state's oral health
Dr. Carol Buffington, a Hamlin dentist, peeks into 6-year-old Cleah Slack’s mouth and determines that she needs two extractions. Buffington is serving on a task force that’s proposing widespread changes to fix West Virginia’s oral health woes.
West Virginia University dental student Kendra Burdette, who’s doing a practicum at Buffington’s practice, prepares an operatory for the next patient.By Eric Eyre
Staff writer
HAMLIN — With swollen faces, abscessed teeth and infected gums, they arrive at this small blue house down a side street in this rural Lincoln County town where Dr. Carol Buffington greets them with a smile, dentist drill and a promise to get them out of pain. A coal miner needs a root canal. A 6-year-old girl needs two teeth pulled. A single mom needs a filling. “We see rampant decay,” said Buffington. “We are in an oral health-care crisis in the state of West Virginia. These issues can’t be ignored.” An eight-member West Virginia Dental Association task force, which includes Buffington, has recommended a host of changes to improve oral health in West Virginia, a state with some of the nation’s highest rates of tooth loss and untreated decay. The task force has been meeting since April 2006.
The group wants state legislators to pass a law that would require kindergarten, second- and sixth-graders to show proof that a dentist has examined them.
Buffington said that up to 40 percent of West Virginia children never see a dentist, and that must change.
“We need to get the kids in who aren’t being seen,” said Buffington, who has worked with her husband, Dr. Bill Artrip, in the Hamlin office for 22 years. “These are critical ages of those children’s lives.” During visits to the dentist, children could get cleanings, fillings and sealants that prevent cavities, Buffington said. Dentists and hygienists could talk to kids about the importance of brushing, flossing and eating right. “We can touch more lives,” Buffington said.
Low-income adults also desperately need help, the task force found. ...................
West Virginia is 91.5% fluoridated: NYSCOF
Dr. Carol Buffington, a Hamlin dentist, peeks into 6-year-old Cleah Slack’s mouth and determines that she needs two extractions. Buffington is serving on a task force that’s proposing widespread changes to fix West Virginia’s oral health woes.
West Virginia University dental student Kendra Burdette, who’s doing a practicum at Buffington’s practice, prepares an operatory for the next patient.By Eric Eyre
Staff writer
HAMLIN — With swollen faces, abscessed teeth and infected gums, they arrive at this small blue house down a side street in this rural Lincoln County town where Dr. Carol Buffington greets them with a smile, dentist drill and a promise to get them out of pain. A coal miner needs a root canal. A 6-year-old girl needs two teeth pulled. A single mom needs a filling. “We see rampant decay,” said Buffington. “We are in an oral health-care crisis in the state of West Virginia. These issues can’t be ignored.” An eight-member West Virginia Dental Association task force, which includes Buffington, has recommended a host of changes to improve oral health in West Virginia, a state with some of the nation’s highest rates of tooth loss and untreated decay. The task force has been meeting since April 2006.
The group wants state legislators to pass a law that would require kindergarten, second- and sixth-graders to show proof that a dentist has examined them.
Buffington said that up to 40 percent of West Virginia children never see a dentist, and that must change.
“We need to get the kids in who aren’t being seen,” said Buffington, who has worked with her husband, Dr. Bill Artrip, in the Hamlin office for 22 years. “These are critical ages of those children’s lives.” During visits to the dentist, children could get cleanings, fillings and sealants that prevent cavities, Buffington said. Dentists and hygienists could talk to kids about the importance of brushing, flossing and eating right. “We can touch more lives,” Buffington said.
Low-income adults also desperately need help, the task force found. ...................
West Virginia is 91.5% fluoridated: NYSCOF
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