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51 °F 5 Day Forecast Friday, December 5, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend December 4, 2003 Jennifer Bork, 11, of Medford, grins at a mirror after dental assistant Sharon Kramer painted her teeth with a �disclosing solution� at Rogue Valley Medical Center�s Children�s Dental Clinic. The solution shows plaque missed while brushing teeth. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Tooth decay plagues kids Smile Survey says most who go untreated are from low-income or minority families By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune More than half of all Oregon children suffer from tooth decay, but poor and minority kids are affected far more, according to a new state study. Decay was detected in six in 10 children — including those in Jackson County — who participated in the "Smile Survey 2002." Conducted by the state Department of Human Services, it was billed as the first comprehensive look at the oral health of children. "It’s clear that dental decay is the most prevalent chronic disease that Oregon’s children face," said Donalda Dodson, manager of DHS child and family health programs. Minority children were nearly twice as likely as white kids to suffer from tooth decay, the study found. Poor kids were nearly three times as likely as others to have untreated decay. Advertisement But none of that was news to local dental health providers. "It’s nice that they’ve revealed it," said Deb Silva, director of the Children’s Dental Clinic of Jackson County. "We’ve been looking at it for years and years." The study was based on responses from more than 3,900 parents and children ages 5 to 10 from 70 schools throughout the state. Conducted in the first three months of 2002, it was designed to include children in all regions and socio-economic levels, said coordinator Shanie Mason. The survey revealed several troubling findings: Nearly a quarter of children surveyed have decay in their primary or permanent teeth. Only about 60 percent of kids eligible for free and reduced-price meals at school visited a dentist in the past year, compared with nearly 90 percent of children who did not qualify for the program. Only one in three children from poor or non-English-speaking households received dental sealants, an inexpensive and effective deterrent to cavities. Mason called for a multi-pronged approach to addressing decay. "It has to do with access, it has to do with education, it has to do with our concept of the mouth and treating it as part of the human body," she said. The Smile Survey 2002 is available on the Web at www.dhs.state.or.us/publichealth/dental/smile/index.cfm Fluoridation advocates hope to send issue to voters New research that reveals a dismal state of tooth decay among Oregon children boosted resolve Monday for proponents of water fluoridation in Medford. "The first defense against tooth decay is going to be fluoride," said Anne Dennehy, a Medford children’s dentist working to put fluoridation on a citywide ballot. State officials, however, declined to use the "Smile Survey 2002" as a call for universal fluoridation. "We certainly agree with it as a broad, effective public health measure," said Shanie Mason, who helped organize the survey. "But the decision to optimally fluoridate a water system is made at the community level." So far, Dennehy and other organizers have collected about 2,000 of 5,000 targeted petition signatures. The group needs 3,606 verified signatures to place the question before voters of whether to fluoridate water from Medford’s Big Butte Springs supply. If approved, Medford’s Water Commission would add fluoride at a rate of .7 parts per million to the system that serves 100,000 Jackson County customers, including 35,000 outside of Medford. Advocates, including the U.S. surgeon general and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, say fluoridation is a safe, effective way to prevent painful and costly tooth decay, especially among children. Critics claim that research about the benefits of fluoridation is unproven and that adding medication to the public water supply curtails personal choice. Hank Collins, Jackson County Health and Human Services director, noted that many communities have found fluoridation effective, but he added that tooth decay is a problem with multiple causes. Lack of access to preventive care, a shortage of children’s dentists and cutbacks in insurance coverage also contribute. "That altogether goes to create a bunch of rotten mouths," he said. "We have way too many children with rotten mouths." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? 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