The author says that several factors have major effects on dental health, especially diet, personal dental habits, professional care and genetics. But based on a wealth of credible data, fluoridation isn’t one of them.
Dr. Bruce Austin, 10 months into his job as Oregon’s first state dental director, says poor oral health is Oregon’s “hidden epidemic,” leading to worse overall health especially in children; he advocates statewide fluoridation among other solutions.
More dentists in private practice are going to have to make the change to some form of managed care as the future moves more toward the concept of disease prevention and finding ways to avoid expensive restorative procedures, according to the author.
Jeremy Horst, a dentist researching at the University of California San Francisco, advocates for a low-cost compound that can be applied to teeth like ointment and more effectively stop cavities than traditional drilling methods. The treatment recently won FDA approval after a public health campaign led by a professor at the University of Washington School of Dentistry.
Thanks to the Creston Children’s Dental Clinic, more than 500 children have been seen by volunteer representing dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants.
