Schumer backs bill to expand child dental care - RecordOnline.com - The Times Herald Record

Schumer backs bill to expand child dental care - RecordOnline.com - The Times Herald Record:

"Local officials say the need for dental care for Medicaid-insured and uninsured children in and around Newburgh is great."

Newburgh was the first US city to add fluoride chemicals into the drinking water and then test for health effects. It's still held up as a beacon of fluoridation's safety and effectiveness when the evidence, such as this news story, shows otherwise.

UB Reporter: Kim works to lower cost of dentures

UB Reporter: Kim works to lower cost of dentures:

[Fluoridated] "Buffalo is a particularly fascinating city from a prosthodontic perspective because the number of denture-wearers is well above the national average,"

JS Online: New clinic to help take a bite out of tooth decay

JS Online: New clinic to help take a bite out of tooth decay:

In 90% fluoridated Wisconsin,"nearly one out of every four children at Head Start centers and one-fifth of third graders have untreated tooth decay, which can interfere with their abilities to talk, eat and learn.

According to the Wisconsin Hospital Association, 1,092 emergency department visits at four Waukesha County Hospitals in 2005 were for dental problems; 40% of those patients were either uninsured or eligible for Medicaid."

Filling a gap in Bay State dental care - The Boston Globe

Filling a gap in Bay State dental care - The Boston Globe:

"IMAGINE walking into a dentist's office with a severe toothache and being told by the dentist that there is good news and bad news. The good news is that because you are poor, you qualify for free dental care from the state in the state's Medicaid program, MassHealth. The bad news is that your dentist won't be able to treat your toothache because he or she only takes patients who have private insurance or who can pay out-of-pocket.

Unfortunately, this is not the exception but the norm in the delivery of oral healthcare in Massachusetts. Of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, 69 do not have a single dentist. Of the communities with dentists, 30 percent don't have enough to care for all the people who live there."

Instead of filling cavities, dentists in Massachusetts would rather fill your water with fluoride.

Dental Needs Unmet | Local News | Fox 61 WTIC-TV Connecticut

Dental Needs Unmet | Local News | Fox 61 WTIC-TV Connecticut:

In Connecticut, fluoridation is state-mandated: "At least 1 million Connecticut residents, and possibly as many as 1.5 million — more than one-third of the state — lack dental insurance, according to the state dental association, and a new state medical plan for the uninsured, which includes tens of thousands of children, will not help."

"More than 1,000 of those uninsured people braved driving rain, lightning and long lines in the pre-dawn chill this past weekend to take advantage of Connecticut's Mission of Mercy, the state's first large-scale free dental clinic that opened for two days in Tolland."

"It's overwhelming," said a stunned Williams as he stood in the crowded clinic about 7 a.m. "If there is any doubt in people's minds about the need for greater access to health care, people should come here and see this."

" Of the approximately 3,000 licensed dentists in the state, only about 400 take HUSKY clients. Of those, only about 100 take HUSKY patients as a large part of their business,"

Medicaid dental-care gap widens

Medicaid dental-care gap widens:

Binghmatom, NY's is fluoridated: "'There are so many people who have gone without care walking around with multiple infected teeth,' said Wilson, a recent graduate of the New York University College of Dentistry."

Dentistry

Dentistry:

In Connecticut where fluoridation is state-mandated, "Closer to the school, people were walking along the side of the road, a steady stream of dark silhouettes rising out of the morning mist like refugees in a war zone.

There were elderly couples clutching their canes, hunched-over veterans, single mothers with young children in tow. A woman on crutches limping along.

It was 5 a.m., and they came by the hundreds, a throng of pilgrims with a common goal -- free dental care."

Dentists needed to relieve wait | News-Leader.com | Springfield News-Leader

Dentists needed to relieve wait | News-Leader.com | Springfield News-Leader:

"Medicaid, now Mo HealthNet, the government-sponsored health care program for the disabled and low-income families, pays dentists about 30 cents for each $1 of care -- not enough to cover overhead -- so dentists limit or refuse Medicaid patients, said Dr. Patrick Bauer, an orthodontist with the Greater Springfield Dental Society.

A 1999 report by Missouri's Bureau of Dental Health found that 71 percent of all Missouri dentists did not accept any Medicaid (Mo HealthNet)."

""If everybody would take only one a month," she said, "that would solve our problems.""

"We get four new dental patients per day, so we're going to be back up to 300-plus (waiting) in no time

Missouri is 81% fluoridated.

Dental Surgeon's Fluoride Concerns - Science - redOrbit

Dental Surgeon's Fluoride Concerns - Science - redOrbit: "Dr Goddard said: 'Even if water is fluoridated, tooth decay will still occur.

Education regarding appropriate dietary habits, encouraging people to eat less sugar and visit the dentist regularly is important. Water fluoridation is not simply a means to an end.'"

Brantford Expositor - Ontario, CA

Brantford Expositor - Ontario, CA: "'Poor tooth care is very, very common among poor folks,' said Rob Rainer, executive director of the National Anti-Poverty Coalition in Ottawa. 'It's a huge issue.'

One in three workers in the country have no benefits at all because they are in contract, part-time, or self-employed work, said Rainer. 'We have a lot of parents who are struggling to put food on the table. They can't afford to buy tooth brushes and toothpaste.'"

Tooth decay among children is on the increase in Haldimand-Norfolk as cash-strapped families find it harder and harder to get to the dentist, the local health unit has reported.

AMNews: March 3, 2008. Tooth or consequences: The costs of poor dental fitness ... American Medical News:

"A few years ago, an extremely sick, 2�-year-old boy came to the [fluoridated] Houston office of pediatrician Ray Wagner, MD, with a 105-degree temperature. The illness, which required five days of hospitalization and a course of intravenous antibiotics, got its start in an infected tooth;"

"Patients also have more difficulty financing dental care. Far more lack dental than medical insurance. Medicare does not cover most dentistry. Medicaid dental coverage for adults is optional, although quite a few states do provide this benefit to some degree. Children on Medicaid have coverage, but because of low reimbursement rates and other issues associated with the program or with living in poverty, they can have a very difficult time finding a dentist who will see them. These realities mean disparities in oral health generally run directly along economic lines. According to data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, released in September 2007, 26.5% of those in poor families saw a dentist annually, while 57.9% of those from high-income families did."

Working on Hanover's crisis in dental care - Evening Sun

Working on Hanover's crisis in dental care - Evening Sun:

Hanover, Pennsylvania is fluoridated:

"In Hanover, there's an overwhelming need for affordable, accessible dental care.

It is estimated that nearly 8,000 individuals in Hanover are eligible for Medicaid, but go without dental care."

Dental Office Magazine Articles - AAPD announces partnership with Head Start to address childhood epidemic

Dental Office Magazine Articles - AAPD announces partnership with Head Start to address childhood epidemic:

"Statistics show that 30-40 percent of three-year-olds and 50-60 percent of four-year-olds in a number of Head Start programs suffer from tooth decay, which is higher than the national average among all children."

Most Head Start programs are in fluoridated inner cities and have fluoridated toothbrushing rrequirements
during classes.

Without dental care, fluoridation is a waste of money as indicated in fluoridated Tallahasse, Florida.

"TALLAHASSEE (AP) -- If a poor child in the capital city needs serious dental work, his family will probably have to drive several hours. Even in this city of more than 150,000 people, there aren't any pediatric dentistry specialists who participate in the state Medicaid program for the poor."

Statewide, there is one dentist for every 10,000 Medicaid-eligible children.

In some cases, not getting care can be very serious. Last year, Deamonte Driver, a 12-year-old boy in Maryland whose family's Medicaid coverage had lapsed, died after bacteria from an untreated tooth abscess spread to his brain. A routine tooth extraction may have saved him -- but he couldn't get in quickly enough to see a Medicaid oral surgeon.

adn.com | Health : Bad water for many Alaskans, no escape from disease (9/20/1992)

In 1992


"In Hooper Bay, a sprawling Yup'ik Eskimo village of nearly 1,000 people and nearly no indoor plumbing, a 41-year-old man died and dozens of neighbors fell ill this past spring after drinking water from a village well. Dangerous levels of fluoride, intended in small doses to reduce tooth decay, were accidentally pumped into a holding tank. The village had a long history of water and sanitation problems, and like most villages, Hooper Bay didn't have a certified water operator. Also like many villages, Hooper Bay had done a spotty job of monitoring its water for contaminants, having gone nearly two years without submitting results of water monitoring to state regulators."

adn.com | Health : Bad water for many Alaskans, no escape from disease (9/20/1992):

The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia - Editorial: Nothing as vital

The Register-Herald, Editorial: "West Virginia is, and has been, in a health care crisis of mammoth proportions for a long time."

West Virginia has been fluoridated for decades

A neglected health care need | Twin Cities Daily Planet | Minneapolis - St. Paul

A neglected health care need | Minneapolis - St. Paul:

"A study of 2005 visits to 7 Twin Cities’ emergency rooms found over 10,000 related to oral health problems at a cost of nearly $5 million."

The twin cities - Minneapolis and St Paul, Minnesota - are fluoridated

Free Dental Sealants Offered At Local Schools

Free Dental Sealants Offered At Local Schools:

"While fluoridated water was previously thought to help build stronger teeth, a recent analysis of national survey data collected by the National Institute of Dental Research concluded that children who live in areas of the U.S. where the water supplies are fluoridated have tooth decay rates nearly identical with those who live in areas where water is not."

Comedy show to bring smiles, laughter to children

Comedy show to bring smiles, laughter to children:

"Americans overall were also found to have declining oral health as those in the country with untreated tooth decay began to rise this decade after a 50-year improving trend in Americans' dental health."

Verizon Online - Business Center News

Verizon Online - Business Center News: "Last year, four area hospitals had 1,500 visits from patients seeking help with tooth pain, said JAT Mountjoy, director of administrative services at the Green River District Health Department. About a third of those cases involved children and teens.

'It's going to take a lot of pain for you to go to the (emergency room),' Mountjoy said.

State officials have found that 4,500 Kentucky 3-year-olds have dental pain each day, McKee said. Nearly half of preschoolers have untreated tooth decay."

Kentucky is 99.6% fluoridated

CBS’s Pelley: American Health Care as Bad as a Third World Country | NewsBusters.org

CBS’s Pelley: American Health Care as Bad as a Third World Country | NewsBusters.org: "In the expedition to Knoxville, RAM saw 920 patients, made 500 pairs of glasses, did 94 mammograms, extracted 1,066 teeth, "

Knoxville and 96% of Tennessee is fluoridated.

The Daily Star, Oneonta, NY - The Newspaper for the Heartland of New York - Plenty of Americans in despair

The Daily Star, Oneonta, NY - Plenty of Americans in despair:

In fluoridated United States: "Honest, hard-working people are losing their homes, letting their teeth rot because they can't afford a dentist,"

NewsChannel 5.com Nashville, Tennessee - Free Dental Exams Offered In Some Schools

NewsChannel 5.com Nashville, Tennessee - Free Dental Exams Offered In Some Schools: "Dentist Michelle Bell said that she and her colleagues have seen a 'dramatic decrease in untreated disease' among children."

Tennessee is 96% fluoridated

Sharoncobb: On 60 Minutes Tonight (March 2) Tennessee Health Care Hero Stan Brock

Sharoncobb: On 60 Minutes Tonight (March 2) Tennessee Health Care Hero Stan Brock: "Pelley and 60 Minutes cameras covered the Knoxville 'expedition,' where RAM volunteers extracted 1,066 teeth, did 567 fillings,"

Fluoridation is state-mandated in Tennessee

News 14 | 24 Hour Local News | TOP STORIES | Dentists take bite out of growing issue

News 14 | Dentists take bite out of growing issue

"Merhoff, a pediatric dentist, joined the national campaign five years ago after noticing a disturbing trend.

'Every other Friday, Dr. Cummings and I are seeing at least two children in the operating room under general anesthesia treating a child with severe dental carries, often abscessed teeth. And that's as early as the age of two.'

The root of the problem Merhoff said are sugary snacks. A 16 oz bottle of Mountain Dew for instance, has 62 grams of sugar. That adds up 1/3 cup of sugar or a third of the bottle.

"The diets have changed. The American diet has changed tremendously. Children are drinking soda pops early on, just high sugary drinks. The juice boxes are often loaded with sugars."

Winston-Salem,North Carolina is fluoridated

www.whec.com - Tooth decay in children and toddlers

www.whec.com - Tooth decay in children and toddlers:

In fluoridated Rochester and Buffalo, NY: "Hundreds of local children are ending up in the operation room because of cavities that could have been prevented. Experts say its what can happen when parents don't take precautions.

A three year old is in the operating room at Strong Memorial Hospital, the result of tooth decay. Dr. Robert Berkowitz says, 'It's unlikely we'll be able to fix them and we'll have to extract them.'

Under anesthesia, a child is having 6 teeth pulled, four stainless steel crowns put in the lower jaw and three fillings in the upper jaw. The culprit, bacteria from sugar.

Dr. Berkowitz says, 'Through baby bottles with Hawaiian Punch apple juice in sippy cups.'

The Eastman Dental Center sees more than 300 of these kinds of cases a year. In Buffalo, 700 plus cases, and thousands state wide." (New York is 73% fluoridated)

I-Team: Dentists Rarely Treat Workers' Comp Patients - Baltimore News Story - WBAL Baltimore

I-Team: Dentists Rarely Treat Workers' Comp Patients - Baltimore News Story - WBAL Baltimore:

"The I-Team began contacting dentists to find out why they wouldn’t accept workers' comp cases. They found out that money is the root of the problem."

Tap Water Is Wise Choice -- Courant.com

Tap Water Is Wise Choice -- Courant.com: "stop the state's practice of purchasing bottled water at taxpayer expense, and to encourage state employees to drink tap water instead [Other Opinion, Feb. 25, 'State Must Get Off the Bottle']. This makes a great deal of sense from both financial and environmental standpoints."

Officials in Connecticut, where fluoridation is mandated, are drinking fluoride-free bottled water and I bet they have less cavities than the poor people in Hartford who can only afford to drink the fluoridated tap water.

Dental system in crisis as one in six Britons can't afford a check-up | the Daily Mail

Dental system in crisis as one in six Britons can't afford a check-up | the Daily Mail:

"The soaring cost of dental treatment has been blamed for millions of Britons having teeth in shockingly poor state, a new report has found. More than 11million adults have not seen a dentist over the past two years because they could not afford to have a check-up."

Fluoridation won't fix this problem

AMNews: March 3, 2008. Tooth or consequences: The costs of poor dental fitness ... American Medical News

AMNews: March 3, 2008. Tooth or consequences: The costs of poor dental fitness ... American Medical News:

"A few years ago, an extremely sick, 2�-year-old boy came to the Houston office of pediatrician Ray Wagner, MD, with a 105-degree temperature. The illness, which required five days of hospitalization and a course of intravenous antibiotics, got its start in an infected tooth; which, in turn, resulted from poor dental hygiene and a lack of dental care. Dr. Wagner, who was then an assistant professor at the University of Texas Medical School, decided to use this case as a hook for an educational session on oral health.

'We discovered that early childhood caries [tooth decay] was the most common chronic disease of children,' he said. 'We were all shocked.'"

Houston, Texas, is fluoridated

CBS 7 - Your Eye on West Texas

CBS 7 - Your Eye on West Texas:

"Nowadays Lemos' main focus is on stopping an epidemic, 'We're seeing more and more damage to the children's teeth at an earlier age.' And she and Gloria Steelman both think sugar is one of the main culprits."

Midland, Texas, is fluoridated