April 10, 2004

By: Lilian Ross
Website: http://www.teeth-whitening-smiles.com

Dental Disease – Poses Significant Health Problem For Santa Clara County Children

The Health Trust announced today the results of an in-depth oral health needs assessment of school-aged Silicon Valley children. The report, commissioned by The Health Trust, details devastating results among certain Santa Clara County school-age children and reveals a high correlation between socioeconomic status and ethnicity and the risk of dental disease.

Low-income Hispanic and Asian children are particularly vulnerable to poor oral health and access to care. Especially troubling is the large number of local children with rampant tooth decay - defined as seven or more decayed teeth - and those with an urgent need for dental care - defined as pain or infection originating in their mouth. The research was funded by a grant from The California Endowment.

This is the first study to identify the true state of oral health in local children. Over 1600 students in Head Start, kindergarten and third-grades in the Santa Clara County public school system participated in the survey. The results clearly identify dental disease as a significant problem for children in Santa Clara County, with one-third of the county's children having untreated tooth decay. This equates to over 43,000 public elementary school children with decayed teeth. Ten percent of the county's children enter kindergarten with dental pain or an abscessed tooth. By the time children are in third grade, 72 percent have a history of decay.

The results are devastating for certain populations of children and indicative of the magnitude of challenge that remains in Santa Clara County. Much work needs to be done, says David Lees, DDS, director of The Health Trust Dentistry With Heart initiative that targets the dental needs of underserved children.

These are alarming statistics, considering the perceived economic status of Silicon Valley. The study shows that low-income and minority children are more likely to have dental disease. Fifty-one percent of kindergartners eligible for the subsidized or free lunch program enter school with untreated tooth decay and twenty-three percent of these children already need urgent dental care when they start school. Hispanic children are three times more likely and Asian children twice as likely to have untreated decay when compared to their white non-Hispanic counterparts. One out of every four Hispanic third grade children sits through classes with pain in his or her mouth.

It's disturbing that so many children are sitting in classrooms in pain and infection, said Colleen Wilcox, Santa Clara County Board of Education. This can contribute to distracted behavior, an inability to concentrate in school and poor self esteem.

Children at highest risk are also the least likely to have access to professional dental care. Twenty-five percent of Head Start and seventeen percent of elementary school parents say they tried to find dental care for their child within the last year, but could not.

It is estimated that Santa Clara County has the dental provider capacity to treat 20,000 of the 140,000 children who fall below 300% of the federal poverty level each year. This means there is a serious disconnect between the number of at-risk children and the provider community needed to address their dental needs.

This is a health problem that could result in serious, long-term consequences for our area, said Guadalupe Olivas, Santa Clara County Public Health Department. We commend The Health Trust for quantifying the extent of the problem and for its leadership in envisioning solutions. This will take a collaborative approach to solve.

It is important for communities to be aware of the health needs, available resources and service gaps that exist for their at-risk children and youth, said Gwen Walden, senior program officer for The California Endowment. This report provides important recommendations about improving access to services and quality of care.

Author Notes:

Lilian Ross contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.teeth-whitening-smiles.com.  Everything you need to know to get a whiter, brighter smile!