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Don’t Forget to Brush Your Teeth

Ouch! Just in time for Children’s Dental Health Month, a new report shows that Americans aren’t taking very good care of their teeth. The United States gets a C in dental hygiene.

"Many people don’t see regular [dental] care as an important part of overall health until they run into problems," says U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher. He notes that tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease.

Cavities cause American kids to miss 50 million hours of school each year. Half of first graders already have a cavity.

Adults also have tooth troubles. Some 24% of elderly Americans have lost all their teeth. At least one-third of adults fail to see a dentist even once a year. One reason: About 108 million Americans have no dental insurance.

The report says that too many Americans don’t have access to a dentist. Others skip regular brushing and flossing. Also, many areas don’t add fluoride, a mineral that helps prevent cavities, to their drinking water.

Health officials believe we can do better. Says Dr. Caswell Evans of the National Institutes of Health: "The jaw bone is just as important as every other bone in the body."

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