Director's Message

Feb. 2, 2007

To: All DHS employees

From: Bruce Goldberg, M.D., Director

"We idolized the Beatles, except for those of us who idolized the Rolling Stones, who in those days still had many of their original teeth."

~Dave Barry

As a child I used to love losing a tooth -- it meant a new dime was coming my way from the Tooth Fairy. Today I dread losing a tooth -- it means a new bill is coming my way from the dentist. Times do change. And yes, this week's message is about teeth, togetherness and fluoride.

Actually, it's about how a seemingly single issue such as, in this case, oral health is linked across our programs and services, and why it's important for us as an agency and as individuals to continue to focus on preventive care.

Unlike the joke about Las Vegas, what happens in the mouth doesn't stay in the mouth -- it affects the entire body. Untreated infections in the mouth can impact our overall health. Oral disease can put pregnant women at risk for premature delivery and their infants at risk for low birth weight, interfere with children's school attendance and adults' work productivity, worsen problems for individuals with heart conditions or diabetes, reduce seniors' ability to get adequate nutrition, and create many other problems that impact people's ability to lead independent, healthy and safe lives.

At the same time, oral health serves as one of the best examples of how easily good preventive care can catch a health problem early before it grows into a serious issue requiring sometimes lengthy and expensive medical care. That's where we come in.

Almost all of our programs and services have an oral health component. When we can help children learn to take care of their teeth and gums, they retain healthy teeth longer and don't incur related medical costs, which in the end are paid by all of us, whether through the Oregon Health Plan, by individuals, or by businesses as part of their job-related health coverage.

Fewer medical problems also mean better attendance at school and work, which can help people find and retain jobs. Years later good oral health can reduce problems during pregnancy and lead to healthier babies, and far down the road good oral health can promote healthy aging. Poor oral health can destroy all of these things.

That's why we support dental sealants for children and good dietary habits for all Oregonians. It's why we teach pregnant women how to care for their teeth and their children's teeth, why our public health staff are developing new and innovative ways to deliver dental care such as through school-based health centers, and why we work to ensure that children in foster care and adults in residential or community programs receive access to regular dental care.

And most significantly, it's why we support the ultimate preventive care -- access to community water fluoridation. Fluoridated water systems help everyone equally, regardless of income level and ethnic group. Studies show that individuals living in communities with fluoridated water supplies experience a reduction in tooth decay of 18-40 percent, with no negative health impacts. Most dentists say they can tell the moment they first look into a new patient's mouth whether that person was raised in an area with fluoridated water. Those who were have much healthier teeth.

Approximately 170 million people -- 67 percent of the U.S. population -- are served by fluoridated water systems. In Oregon, however, just a few communities provide this protection to their residents. And we could use the help. Fully 56 percent of Oregon children 6-8 years old have some level of tooth decay. By age 15 it's 69 percent. Among Oregonians over age 60, 18 percent have lost all of their teeth due to preventable dental disease. Many of the health problems that result from tooth decay and oral disease can be prevented with water fluoridation. All past and present U.S. Surgeon Generals have deemed fluoridated water to be safe and effective, and have supported and advocated for it as basic preventive care. And at a cost that ranges from just $1 to $3 a year per person, it not only prevents illness but will save us all money in the long run.

February is National Children's Dental Health Month. But good oral health protects everyone, not just children. If we can help people of all ages catch and stop dental problems early before they worsen, everyone benefits -- clients who experience improved health, and taxpayers who see their dollars go farther as inexpensive preventive care replaces high-cost medical care.