Health Mary Mata September 27, 2011

Tooth Decay, Cavities May Lead To Death If Untreated

Deamonte Driver is a 12 year old boy who died from a toothache. You heard me right. He had a toothache that could have been prevented by an $80 exam and cavity filling. But it was left untreated, and in the end, after $250,000 in healthcare costs, he died of a brain infection.

When a cavity goes untreated for months or years, the decay eats into the center of the tooth and eventually enters the nerves and blood vessels. From there the bacteria can go virtually anywhere. In Deamonte’s case, it went to his brain.

According to Healthy People 2010, nearly one quarter (23%) of all US children have cavities by the age of 4. By second grade, one-half of all U.S. children have experienced caries. Not surprisingly, it effects the Latino community to a much greater extent than non-Latino whites, with 80% of the disease concentrated in children from minority ethnic groups.

Untreated dental disease results in pain, infection, dysfunction, distraction from learning, and may inhibit general growth and development because of associated nutritional deficiencies. Evidence shows that poor oral health may contribute to poor pregnancy outcomes, respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

Tooth decay is a preventable disease. Although it is infectious, chronic, progressive, and highly prevalent and if untreated, results in pain, infection, dysfunction, and missed work or school, there are easy fixes. Tooth decay is overwhelmingly preventable through self-care:

  • Offer children healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. Too much sugar contributes to tooth decay.
  • Brush your children’s teeth after every meal.
  • Tooth decay is caused by bacteria. Do not share tooth brushes, utensils, bottles or pacifiers.
  • Decay can be approached through disease management strategies in early stages — get dental check-ups every 6 months.

Medicaid generally covers oral healthcare. Oral health is often pretty low on most peoples’ radars, and this is especially so given today’s poor economy. However, neglecting preventive oral care can result in more expensive, and sometimes deadly, consequences. In addition, for the poor and minority populations like Latinos, other factors also contribute to poor oral health:

  • Lack of insurance. Latinos are the most uninsured ethnic group in the U.S. which affects their access to dental care, as well as healthcare. Many Latinos are not aware that Medicaid often covers dental care.
  • Lack of education. Many Latino mothers confuse cavities with tooth stains and do not understand the connection between diet and tooth decay.
  • Lack of diversity and cultural competency among dental providers. A lack of knowledge about oral health is partially due to the few Latino dental care providers who could educate Latinos in a culturally sensitive manner.
  • Lack of time. Loss of income and fear of being fired for taking time off from work may prevent many Latinos from taking their children to the dentist.

It shouldn’t take a child’s death for people to wake up to this problem.

The Department of Health and Human Services, finally recognizing the importance of oral health to our health as a nation, has announced an initiative to expand oral health services, education and research in America. They propose to significantly increase awareness of the importance of oral health for racial and ethnic minorities and other populations that experience higher levels of oral diseases.

The initiative will create programs that emphasize health promotion and disease prevention, increase access to care, strengthen the oral health workforce, and eliminate oral health disparities. Hopefully, something good will come from the Driver’s family tragic loss.

References:

[Photo By petesimon]

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