USA - ``silent epidemic"
The silent epidemic in our mouths
By Kathy O'Loughlin | October 6, 2006
IT HAS BEEN six years since the US surgeon general issued a warning about the ``silent epidemic" of oral disease and urged us to recognize oral health as a critical component of overall health. Despite the call to action in the nation's first-ever report card on the oral health of Americans, dental disease remains the most common, chronic disease of childhood -- affecting five times more children than asthma.It doesn't have to be this way. By working to expand access to important preventive measures such as dental screenings and sealant programs in community settings, we can eliminate oral disease in thousands of children and adults.
Dental disease is caused by bacterial infection in the mouth. The effects of dental decay are serious and can be permanent. In children and adults, decay, pain, and infection can inhibit learning, speech, and eating, leading to problems in school and on the job, negative self-image, and poor nutrition.
Oral infection in children is a harbinger of future dental disease, and chronic oral infections are associated with an array of problems later in life, including heart and lung disease, diabetes, stroke, and premature births. The costs can be calculated not only in debilitating pain and suffering, but in the more than 51 million school hours and 164 million work hours that are lost each year because of oral health problems.
What is tragic is that these costs do not need to be borne. We have made great progress in our understanding of oral disease -- to the point where it is almost entirely preventable today. Together we can prevent this widespread disease.
As a first step, we need to ensure that children have
Correct diet and brushing teeth, not fluoride, is the answer
By Kathy O'Loughlin | October 6, 2006
IT HAS BEEN six years since the US surgeon general issued a warning about the ``silent epidemic" of oral disease and urged us to recognize oral health as a critical component of overall health. Despite the call to action in the nation's first-ever report card on the oral health of Americans, dental disease remains the most common, chronic disease of childhood -- affecting five times more children than asthma.It doesn't have to be this way. By working to expand access to important preventive measures such as dental screenings and sealant programs in community settings, we can eliminate oral disease in thousands of children and adults.
Dental disease is caused by bacterial infection in the mouth. The effects of dental decay are serious and can be permanent. In children and adults, decay, pain, and infection can inhibit learning, speech, and eating, leading to problems in school and on the job, negative self-image, and poor nutrition.
Oral infection in children is a harbinger of future dental disease, and chronic oral infections are associated with an array of problems later in life, including heart and lung disease, diabetes, stroke, and premature births. The costs can be calculated not only in debilitating pain and suffering, but in the more than 51 million school hours and 164 million work hours that are lost each year because of oral health problems.
What is tragic is that these costs do not need to be borne. We have made great progress in our understanding of oral disease -- to the point where it is almost entirely preventable today. Together we can prevent this widespread disease.
As a first step, we need to ensure that children have
Correct diet and brushing teeth, not fluoride, is the answer
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