Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey

Articles
Surgeon General Releases Significant Findings on Oral Health
Wisdom Tooth Goes Online
Timeline of Toothpaste History
Look Ma, No Cavities! Thanks to Community Water Fluoridation
Smoking May Be Major Cause of Gum Disease
ADA Urges Larger Tobacco Warning Labels
Tooth Facts to Chew On
Fun Classroom Activities that Promote Dental Health

Surgeon General Releases Significant Findings on Oral Health

Oral health matters. That conclusion is drawn in a report released recently by U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher and endorsed by the nation's largest affiliation of dental plans, the Delta Dental Plans Association, of which Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey is a member.

The much-anticipated report marks the first time that the U.S. Surgeon General has dedicated this level of attention to oral health issues, and includes a number of significant findings and recommendations. The report states that, "Oral health is essential to the general health and well-being of all Americans and can be achieved by all Americans. However, not all Americans are achieving the same degree of oral health."

Report findings indicate that Americans have experienced significant improvements in oral health over the past few decades. Factors contributing to these improvements include the widespread fluoridation of municipal water, improved dental treatment options, a strong emphasis on preventive dental care and the emergence of dental benefits as a common and valued workplace benefit.

However, not all populations have realized these improvements in oral health. The Surgeon general says there is a "profound disparity" in oral health among population groups, and states that dental and oral diseases affecting certain populations amount to a "silent epidemic." Those without dental coverage, for instance, are less likely to visit the dentist regularly and are more likely to postpone preventive care.

Just why is oral health so important? The report references a number of recent studies establishing strong connections between oral health and overall health. Dental health affects some of the body's most essential functions, including speech, chewing and swallowing. Other studies have demonstrated potential linkages between periodontal diseases and systemic illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and pregnancy complications.

"The Surgeon General's Report on Oral Health provides important reminders that oral health means more than sound teeth," said Health and Human Services Secretary Donna E. Shalala, who commissioned the report. "Oral health is integral to overall health. Furthermore, safe and effective disease-prevention measures exist that everyone can adopt to improve oral health and prevent disease."

Wisdom Tooth Goes Online

Looking for a recent issue of Wisdom Tooth? You can now find Wisdom Tooth on our website at www.deltadentalnj.com in our "Kid's Club" section. Other Delta Dental newsletters are also available online, including Subscriber News, Dental News and Broker News.

Timeline of Toothpaste History

Mankind's quest for a whiter, brighter smile apparently began nearly two million years ago. Anthropologists from the University of Arkansas recently identified microscopic scratches in a 1.8 million year old tooth, which may have been made by a prehistoric toothpick! According to Peter Ungar, associate professor of anthropology, the particular characteristics of the grooves indicated that this early human may have used a piece of bone or grit on a stick to remove food from between his or her teeth.

The state of dental hygiene had taken a giant leap forward by 3000 B.C., when Egyptians made toothpaste from oxen hooves, myrrh, powdered and burnt egg shells and pumice. Scientists don't think the early Egyptians used toothbrushes. More likely they used their fingers to rub the mixture onto their teeth.

By 1000 A.D., Persians had further refined toothpaste technology. They advised against using hard tooth powders and instead recommended one made from a mixture of burnt snail and oyster shells, and burnt gypsum. In the late 18th century, tooth powder and toothpaste became available in Britain. Developed by doctors and chemists, these products often contained a variety of harmful, abrasive materials such as brick dust, china, earthenware or cuttlefish. Only the rich could afford brushes to apply the dentifrice. The poor used their fingers. In 1896, the first collapsible toothpaste tube - similar to those in use today - hit the market.

Look Ma, No Cavities! Thanks to Community Water Fluoridation

The first community water fluoridation program began more than 50 years ago. Today, more than 145 million Americans in 10,500 communities are protected by fluoridated community water. Community water fluoridation has been hailed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. Fluoride works by making tooth enamel harder and more resistant to the acid that causes decay. It also helps repair the early stages of tooth decay.

Surgeon General David Satcher wrote in his report Oral Health Care in America, "Community water fluoridation is safe and effective in preventing dental caries in both children and adults. Water fluoridation benefits all residents served by community water supplies regardless of their social or economic status."

Studies show that water fluoridation can reduce decay in baby teeth by as much as 60% and can reduce tooth decay in permanent teeth by nearly 35%. Thanks in large part to community water fluoridation, half of all children ages 5 to 17 have never had a cavity in their permanent teeth.

According to the April 2000 Journal of Dental Research, the use of fluorides in the past 40 years has been the primary factor in saving some $40 billion in oral health-care costs in the United States. Fluoridation is one of the very few public health procedures that actually saves more money than it costs. The CDC estimates that it costs about 51 cents per year per person to fluoridate a community's water. That comes to $38.25 for an average lifetime. That's far less than what it costs to fill a single cavity. The CDC says that for every dollar spent on fluoridation, $80 are saved on dental care costs.

Smoking May Be Major Cause of Gum Disease

Smoking could be responsible for more than half of the cases of periodontal disease among adults in the United States, according to a study in the Journal of Periodontology. The study found that smokers are about four times more likely than people who have never smoked to have advanced periodontal disease.

"Cigarette smoking may well be the major preventable risk factor for periodontal disease," said the study's lead researcher, Scott Tomar, D.M.D., Dr.P.H., of the Division of Oral Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The good news is that quitting seems to gradually erase the harmful effects of tobacco use on periodontal health."

Tobacco's negative effect on periodontal health is well documented. Smoking interferes with healing, making smokers more likely to not respond to treatment and to lose teeth. "Tobacco use reduces the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to gingival tissue," explains Robert Genco, D.D.S., Ph.D., editor of the Journal of Periodontology. "Smoking impairs the body's defense mechanisms, making smokers more susceptible to an infection like periodontal disease."

ADA Urges Larger Tobacco Warning Labels

How effectively do warning labels discourage children and adolescents from using tobacco products? Although no formal studies have yet been conducted in the United States, research in Canada and Australia suggests large warning labels do make a difference.

Both those countries recently implemented larger, more visible warnings for tobacco products. The warnings now occupy from 25% to 50% of the front packaging. "Research findings from Canada and Australia have documented that larger warnings positioned on the upper front surface of cigarette packages are more noticeable and legible and may reduce the attractiveness of the package to adolescents," the American Dental Association (ADA) recently told the Federal Trade Commission. "The Association strongly urges that, until there are U.S. data available on effectiveness of warning labels, the Agency should take action consistent with what Canada and Australia have done."

The ADA added, "Association policies support strong warning labels as one way to discourage children and adolescents from using tobacco."

Tooth Facts to Chew On

Did you know that:

You can identify a person by their teeth?
The average adult has 32 teeth; the average child has 20 baby teeth?
Tooth enamel is the strongest tissue in the body?
If a tooth were left in a glass of soda overnight, it would begin to disintegrate?
False teeth were made as early as the 8th century B.C.?
In the 18th century, the poor used to sell their teeth so they could be made into false teeth for the rich?
The Greeks and Romans developed a leaden instrument to extract teeth? (They were also the first to bind loose teeth together and to support artificial teeth by means of gold wire.)

Fun Classroom Activities that Promote Dental Health

The American Dental Association has developed the following ideas for teachers and school nurses to promote good dental health habits among students:

Create a Healthy Smiles bulletin board with smile photos that students clip from magazines. Add oral health tips messages, such as "Brush and floss each day," "Eat nutritious foods," and "Visit your dentist regularly."
Conduct a dental-health coloring contest. Use the theme "Smiles Are Always in Fashion," and ask children to draw a picture of themselves wearing their favorite outfit and a big smile.
Assign an essay contest. Ask students to complete a sentence, such as "My smile is important because..." or "Smiles are always in fashion because..."
Take an apple and make a hole one-inch deep in it. Put it in a paper bag and set aside for a few days. Cut through the place where the hole was made and have the children look at the effect of decay. This shows how decay spreads through a tooth.
Have children name three things that teeth do: Teeth are important for speaking, eating and smiling. If you didn't have any teeth, it wouldn't be easy to say "teeth," "toys" or "toothbrush." It would be hard to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" without teeth.
Name some things you do that keep your body healthy. There are daily health habits that everyone needs to practice, such as eating a proper diet, exercising, bathing and sleeping. Caring for your mouth is as important as caring for the rest of your body. Cleaning teeth and gums removes a sticky film of plaque. Plaque contains harmful bacteria that can cause tooth decay.
Ask children to make a list of what foods can be eaten without teeth and what foods must be chewed. Without teeth you couldn't chew crunchy foods like carrots, nuts or apples.
Discuss "baby" teeth. Some teeth are supposed to come out. They are called the "baby" teeth or "primary" teeth. After a baby tooth comes out, another tooth will come in. This new tooth must last for many, many years. You must take extra special care by brushing each day.