DENTISTRY / Nation’s Oral Health Needs Brushing Up

The U.S. earned a dismal C on a national report card released last week by Oral Health America, a Chicago-based advocacy group.

Confirming many of the findings of a report released in 2000 by the U.S. surgeon general, the report said that many children and older Americans don’t have adequate dental care. The nation lags in prevention programs and in access to care among the poor, the elderly and children, many of whom don’t have insurance and haven’t seen a dentist in the past year.

California’s score was equally disappointing. The state received a C overall--and failing grades in dental leadership (we are one of only six states that don’t have a state dental director) and in prevention. Only 30% of Californians drink fluoridated water, and fewer than 22% of children have dental sealants, which are among the most effective ways of protecting kid’s teeth against tooth decay.

There were a couple of bright spots, however. Our mortality rates from mouth and throat cancer are lower than national averages, we visit dentists more often, and fewer than 14% of the elderly with incomes above $15,000 have lost their teeth, compared with a third nationally. Still, say the study’s authors, “basic oral health is still not a priority for policymakers.”