More Children With Untreated Cavities in Maryland

Reported by Elizabeth Harrington
More Children With Untreated Cavities in Maryland
01/30/2008 5:31 PM ET
SALISBURY, Md.- One-third of Maryland public school children in early grades have untreated cavities, according to a new report from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
It focused on students in kindergarten through third grade. Of the 2,300 children evaluated, fewer than 30 percent have dental sealants to protect their teeth from decay.
Gov. Martin O'Malley has added $16 million in his proposed budget to improve children's access to dental care.Last year a 12-year-old Maryland boy died from an untreated tooth infection.Dentists say part of the problem is many young kids are going to bed with sippy cups filled with sugary drinks. "Even in natural fruit juices there is sugar and it's the long-term coating on the teeth," said Dr. Charles Brenner, a Salisbury dentist.Brenner said kids need to learn at an early age how important it is to take care of their teeth.
"They definitely should be watching older siblings or their parents brushing their teeth so they know what this is, what's going in their mouth," Brenner said. "Once every 24 hours a parent should be brushing a child's teeth, preferably at bedtime until about third or fourth grade."
The Eastern Shore of Maryland faces a unique problem. Brenner said that many areas still do not have fluoride in their water."This doesn't begin to touch all the kids that are growing up on the Eastern Shore, growing up on well water and many of them don't take fluoride supplements or it's hit and miss," he said.
Brenner said kids should begin seeing the dentist between the ages of 18 months and 2years.