Local Event Highlights Disadvantaged Children’s Need for Dental Care

Avon, CO. – February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. For 60 years the American Dental Association (ADA) has sponsored the month to raise awareness among families and policymakers about the importance of children to have good oral health habits.

On Feb. 5 an estimated twenty local children in great need of dental care will receive free services ranging from cleanings and exams to fillings and extraction of infected teeth as part of the ADA’s annual Give Kids A Smile® program. These children were selected through referrals from school nurses. Vail Valley Dental Care will host the event with support from Beaver Creek Endodontics in Edwards and Castle Peak Dentistry in Eagle.

Last year, more than 44,650 dental team members nationwide participated in the Give Kids A Smile®. There is also generous corporate support for the program. Companies, such as Colgate, provided more than $2.8 million in products for the 2009 event.

“It’s heartbreaking to see a child’s smile destroyed by severe tooth decay,” said Dr. David Maloley, owner of Vail Valley Dental Care. “Many children are unable to pay attention in school, eat, or sleep because they have multiple toothaches. It also can have a dramatic negative effect on self-esteem”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tooth decay affects more than one-fourth of U.S. children aged 2–5 and half of those aged 12–15. About two-thirds of children aged 12–19 from low income families have had decay. While poor diet and oral hygiene certainly pay a role, cavities are actually caused by an infectious disease called caries, which is five times more common than asthma.

Public health programs such as Medicaid are supposed to help underserved children, but utilization rates are low. In Eagle County, Medicaid-eligible children who utilize their dental benefits are less than 25 percent.