HILO — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named community-water fluoridation “one of the 10 great public-health achievements” of the 20th century “because of its contribution to the large decline in cavities in the United States since the 1960s.”
HILO — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named community-water fluoridation “one of the 10 great public-health achievements” of the 20th century “because of its contribution to the large decline in cavities in the United States since the 1960s.”
But Hawaii water supplies are not fluoridated.
And a recent report from Hawaii Department of Health confirms that children in Hawaii have the highest rates of dental decay of any children in the country.
Now, dental experts say fluoridation of water and education are the answers to stopping Hawaii’s perennial recognition for tooth decay in kids.
The move to require fluoridating water supplies in Hawaii, through legislation, has been tried before — and has always failed.
But fluoridation, with education, seems the one overriding view among dental-health experts about how to cause an immediate, population-wide improvement in childhood dental decay.
Recognizing the problem is the first step, said Hilo Pediatric Dentist Dr. Ruth Ohata, and education “is the key to promoting dental health.”
She said policies that “would have an immediate impact” include water fluoridation and promotion of healthy eating by eliminating the ability to use EBT cards to buy high-sugar foods and drinks like candy, cookies, pastries, soda and energy and sports drinks.
Dr. Lynn Fujimoto, past president of the Hawaii Dental Association, said the problem of dental decay among children in Hawaii is “something that we’ve known for a long time.”
“Hawaii always is having one of the highest rates of decay,” she said. Part of the reason, Fujimoto said, is the lack of fluoridation of drinking water.
The decay rates among Hawaii’s young people probably need a collaborative, system-wide approach, Fujimoto said. That means teachers, physicians, school administrators, dental providers, families, public-health programs such as Women Infants and Children and Head Start all working in concert.
Families need to be educated on dental health and the consequences of poor dental hygiene, Fujimoto said.
“Good habits in childhood stay with you as an adult,” said Ohata. “Prevention is the goal. Good dental health, preventive care and early restorative care equals healthy teeth, beautiful smile, lower cost. Poor dental health, untreated decay equals unappealing smile, pain, tooth loss, higher cost.”
If inroads can be made with young children, said Fujimoto, that will “trickle down” to their dental health in future years.
Public-health and dental-health experts are putting their heads together to try to cut dental-decay rates, she said.
Community health centers are an important resource in offering proactive dental care, Fujimoto noted.
“We’re making access an issue so the patients are able to be seen,” she said.
Education is especially important in communities where decay rates are high, Fujimoto said, including teaching both children and their parents about dental hygiene.
“Children should start seeing the dentist by age 1,” she said. And that dentist should become the child’s “dental home.”
“People need to recognize the importance of oral health and make it a priority,” Fujimoto said. She advised parents to establish a dental home by the time their child turns 1, to limit kids’ consumption of sweets and sugary snacks, to make sure kids brush and floss their teeth at least twice each day, and to start a conversation with a pediatrician about fluoride drops or chewables.
The CDC recommends parents:• Ask a pediatrician, nurse, doctor or dentist about fluoride varnish for your child’s teeth as soon as the first tooth appears.• For kids younger than 6, watch them brush their teeth. Make sure only a pea-sized amount of toothpaste is used and gets spit out (not swallowed).
• Ask your dentist, family doctor or pediatrician if your child needs oral-fluoride supplements like drops, tablets, or lozenges.
• Talk to your child’s dentist about dental sealants that protect teeth from decay.
