Helping Kids Have Healthy Smiles

By Wil Phinney
Special to Tribal Connections

Vincent Sheoships
(Photo courtesy of Wil Phinney)

Mission, Oregon -- With the tenacity of Achilles, tooth decay is on a rampant march across the Umatilla Indian Reservation, attacking the canines and molars of hundreds of children. It is one of the most preventable diseases, but, emboldened by its chief allies -- soda pop and candy -- tooth decay is chipping away at the enamel of a generation, creating cavities that perhaps no amount of amalgam can fill.

Consider these startling numbers:

• Early Childhood Caries -- the term dentists use to describe what moms and dads and kids call cavities -- are four times more prevalent in Native American populations.
• The U.S. Surgeon General reports that dental caries is the number one chronic disease among children in the United States. Over half of children ages five through nine have at least one cavity or filling; by age 17, nearly 80 percent of our young people have had a cavity.

• Last year, at the start of school, 70 percent of children screened for Head Start had at least one cavity, with one in three suffering decay in seven or more teeth.
• At least five children under the age of 6 are sent to dental specialists each month for dental surgery.
• In an eight month period, from October 2003 to May of 2004, the Confederated Tribes spent $81,132 on 48 children referred to outside dentists for "full-mouth rehabilitation." Another 28 children who were referred for the same treatment didn't go.
• A total of 354 children ages 6 to 12 were eligible for dental care last year at the Yellowhawk Dental Clinic, but only 194 had exams. Of those, 90 returned for dental work, which ranged from simple fillings to extractions. So, many who were diagnosed with dental decay never returned for the needed work.