Monday, October 06, 2008

Tackling the epidemic of tooth decay in children | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/06/2008

Tackling the epidemic of tooth decay in children | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/06/2008:

Philadelphia is fluoridated and so is 70% of US public water supplies:

"the No. 1 health issue plaguing children in Philadelphia and across the country today is tooth decay."

"Nationwide, pediatric dental disease has approached epidemic proportions"

"In Philadelphia, the findings are equally bleak. Our children are the most likely in the state to suffer from tooth decay. A study conducted between 2005 and 2007 in Northeast Philadelphia found that a third of 2- to 3-year-olds had dental disease, as did more than half of 4- and 5-year-olds and an astounding 80 percent of 7- and 8-year-olds.

Philadelphia's children are also least likely to access needed treatment and preventive care. A 2003 report found the city had the state's highest proportion of children who had not visited a dentist in the last year: 23 percent, compared with 12.8 percent statewide."