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Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease affecting Americanchildren, five times more common than asthma according to a report by the U.S.Surgeon General. And reversing a half century of progress, recent CDC datashows that tooth decay is on the rise among preschoolers. Untreated oraldisease has been linked to childhood infections and more catastrophicillnesses such as the untreated abscess that took the life in 2007 of a12-year-old Maryland boy, Deamonte Driver. More commonly, tooth decay greatlyrestricts children's daily activities and results in the loss of many millionsof hours of classroom time each year.
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"Dental care remains a critical unmet health care need among America'schildren," said Mark J. Feldman, D.M.D., president of the American DentalAssociation. "The ADA and dentists across the nation are engaged in creatingpublic awareness of this critical need and trying to extend access to dentalcare to more low-income children. To this end we are celebrating Feb. 1stwith our sixth annual Give Kids A Smile program, to help put children on theroad to a lifetime of good oral health."
The ADA launched its national Give Kids A Smile program to combat what theU.S. Surgeon General called "a silent epidemic" of dental disease and toencourage parents, health professionals, policymakers and everyone who caresabout children to address this important health issue.
The ADA recommends that children see a dentist no later than their firstbirthdays. However, studies reveal that only three out of five children havedone so by the time they enter kindergarten. Because of inattention and otherbarriers to oral care, more than half (52-percent) of children ages six toeight have tooth decay, according to the U.S. Department of Health and HumanServices in its Healthy People 2010 oral health update.
Give Kids A Smile events are offered by groups of dentists in theirprivate practices and by individual dentists in a variety of locations, coastto coast. A national centerpiece Give Kids A Smile event will be held on Feb.1 at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine in Aurora andattended by ADA Board Member Kenneth J. Versman, D.D.S., and by ADA ExecutiveDirector James B. Bramson, D.D.S. Previewing the events, ADA President-ElectJohn S. Findley, D.D.S., will appear on a number of morning televisionprograms on Thursday, Jan. 31.
The ADA strongly supports several bills before Congress to help improveaccess to oral health care, including the Children's Dental Health ImprovementAct of 2007 and H.R. 2371, known as "Deamonte's Law," named for the child whodied in Maryland of an untreated abscess. And ADA urges parents to takecontrol of their families' oral health by making sure that their childrenbrush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, floss daily, eat a balanced dietand see dentists regularly to address any tooth decay before it develops intogreater health issues.
Give Kids A Smile events would not be possible without the dentalprofessionals who volunteer their time and services as well as the generoussupport of corporate sponsors. In 2008, the Colgate-Palmolive Company willsupply 300,000 toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste for Give Kids A Smileevents; DEXIS Digital X-ray will offer the use of one DEXIS Digital X-raysystem to each U.S. dental school participating in Give Kids A Smile, as wellas support staff to assist in
