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Comprehensive General Dental Care for the Adult and Child, Including: Preventive, Restorative (Including Cosmetic Restorations), Prosthetic (fixed, removable, and implants), Endodontic (root canals) and Periodontal Care. |
Aug. 29, 2002 CDC recommends expanding water
fluoridation, dental sealant use By Craig Palmer Atlanta, Ga. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Aug. 27 called for broader community efforts to reduce tooth decay by extending water fluoridation and dental sealants to more children and adults. "Two community-based interventions, applying dental sealants in a school setting and fluoridating drinking water, are both beneficial as well as equitable in preventing tooth decay among our most vulnerable populations," said CDC Director Julie Gerberding, M.D. "If more communities would implement these programs, we could save many children from needless pain and suffering and save the nation millions of dollars in dental care costs." The statement is posted at the CDC Web site. It was Dr. Gerberding's first public statement on oral health issues since becoming director of the disease control agency. The Bush administration announced her appointment July 3. Dr. Gerberding had been acting principal deputy director of the CDC and served as part of the leadership team directing the agency after the March 31 resignation of Jeffrey Koplan, M.D. Dr. Gerberding played a major role in leading CDC's response to the anthrax attacks last fall. CDC officials responded to an oral health report issued in July by a national public health task force outlining recommendations for preventing dental caries, oral and pharyngeal cancers and sports-related craniofacial injuries. The report and supporting materials are products of a process organized by the CDC and published as a supplement to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (Vol. 23, No. 1S). The supplement is available online at the Guide to Community Preventive Services Web site. To order a copy send an e-mail request to oralhealth@cdc.gov or telephone 1-770-488-6054. The report strongly recommends school-based dental sealant programs and community water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, particularly among low-income families, families without private dental care and families at higher risk for oral health problems but finds insufficient evidence of effectiveness and therefore makes no recommendations for or against the other community-based interventions under review. The newly published supplement expands on a report issued last fall. "There is considerable opportunity for communities to increase their use of these proven measures to decrease tooth decay for both children and adults," said Dr. William Maas, who directs CDC's oral health program. "The CDC recently made cooperative awards to several states to develop additional school sealant programs and to promote adoption of water fluoridation in communities" (Today's News June 28, CDC awards $1.4 million for oral health education, services). According to the CDC, fewer than one in four 8-year-old children and only 3 percent of low income children and 11 percent of African-American children have a dental sealant, a plastic coating applied to protect the chewing surface of teeth. Some 100 million Americans do not have fluoride in their drinking water. The Task Force on Community Preventive Services, which conducted the review, is a 15-member non-federal panel of local, state and national public health and health promotion representatives. For interventions for which the panel found insufficient evidence to make a recommendation, further research is necessary to determine their effectiveness, the report said. Additionally, in the case of the strongly recommended interventions, the task force called for further study of the effectiveness, applicability, other effects, economic consequences and barriers to implementation. American Dental Association 8/29/02
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