USA - Project Ready Smile brings oral care to kids

................Children were found with abscesses and tooth decay that had already spread through their mouth, Downes said. “Children missed school because of the pain, they had behavioral problems because of the pain — they acted out.”

The problems are widespread. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 27 percent of third-graders in both Kansas and Missouri had untreated tooth decay.

Many low-income children lack regular dental care because it is so hard to come by, Downes said..............

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