| The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) is the federal agency with primary
responsibility for supporting state- and community-based
programs to prevent oral disease, promoting oral health
nationwide, and fostering applied research to enhance
oral disease prevention in community settings. One of
its goals for 2003 is the prevention of painful, costly
and preventable oral health problems, such as cavities.
According to the CDC, tooth decay
affects more than half of 8 year olds and more than
three-fourths of 17 year olds. Hardest hit are
low-income children. About half of all cavities go
untreated among low-income children. Untreated cavities
may cause pain, dysfunction, absence from school,
underweight, and poor appearance - problems that can
greatly reduce a child's capacity to succeed in life.
One way the CDC is tackling the
cavity problem is by encouraging the effective use of
fluoride. CDC provides national leadership in assessing
the appropriate use of various forms of fluoride, works
with partners to improve the quality of water
fluoridation, and extends water fluoridation to new
communities.
Over the past 50 years, damage
caused by dental decay has been dramatically reduce,
primarily through the use of fluoride. A CDC study found
that for communities with more than 20,000 residents,
every $1 invested in community water fluoridation yields
$38 in savings each year from fewer cavities treated.
The CDC is also promoting the use
of dental sealants. Dental sealants are a plastic
coating applied to the chewing surfaces of the back
teeth, and are a safe, effective way to prevent cavities
among schoolchildren. Sealants significantly reduce a
child's risk for having untreated cavities. Currently
fewer than 25% of all schoolchildren have sealants.
Children in some racial and ethnic groups are less
likely than others to have sealants. For example, only
10% of Mexican American 8 year olds have sealants on
their teeth. The CDC is encouraging the development of
school-based programs to deliver sealants to all
children attending low-income schools.
For more information about the
CDC's oral health program for 2003, go to
www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/topics/about_program.htm.
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