Study Shows Alarming Rates of Tooth Decay Among Poor Children in L.A. County

LOS ANGELES--- An epidemic of tooth decay exists among young children living in Los Angeles County's poorest communities, according to a recent Children's Dental Health Study commissioned by First 5 LA, along with the Annenberg Foundation, The California Endowment and The California Wellness Foundation.

The study revealed that some 72 percent of children under age 5 in underserved communities have untreated cavities.  This is more than double the national average among youngsters in comparable age and income groups. The study also found that among the 72 percent with untreated cavities, nearly 10 percent of the children needed immediate dental care within 24 hours, while the others required dental care within 15 days.

"We knew there was a need, but we didn't know the depth of the problem until now," said Evelyn V. Martinez, executive director of First 5 LA.  "This information tells us oral health in L.A. County is worse than we thought."

The downturn in the economy has made it even more difficult for many parents to adequately care for their children's health, especially dental health, said Martinez. "The increase in out-of-pocket dental expenses or loss of dental insurance coverage has blocked access to dental care for many families," she said.  

As a result, Martinez said many young children are infected with dental diseases that can hurt the development of their permanent teeth, lead to painful conditions and threaten their overall health and well-being.  

"Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease of childhood, occurring up to five times more frequently than asthma and also a leading cause of absence from school," Dr. Conrado E. Bárzaga, a senior program officer who is heading up First 5 LA's children's dental health efforts said.  "While it is highly preventable with proper care, left untreated, dental decay can cause serious health problems and life-threatening infections."

A total of 2,313 underprivileged children were examined at 59 Los Angeles County sites for the children's dental health study.  Among the key findings were:

• Some 21 percent of children had no dental insurance, while nearly 6-in-10 were covered by public programs where access to care is often a serious problem (43 percent were covered by "Denti-Cal" or Medicaid and another 14 percent by Healthy Families).

• The study identified 5,790 dental offices and clinics in Los Angeles County; about half of them were not serving children covered by Denti-Cal, and only 44 percent of these facilities treated children 2 years of age or younger.

• The majority of parents (86 percent) were not following the recommendations of the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry that children should visit the dentist by their first birthdays.

Since 2006, First 5 LA has invested more than $30 million in funding for oral health education and prevention. These programs include pediatric dentistry training for general dentists and other health professionals, expanding access to dental services through community partnerships, and creating an infrastructure for water agencies to improve fluoride levels in drinking water.  
"We applaud First 5 LA for its investments in children's oral health programs," said Ted Lempert, president of Children Now, a leading nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to assuring all children have the opportunity to achieve their full potential. "Children Now is proud to work with partners like First 5 LA to highlight the critical oral health needs of California's children and prioritize services to improve children's oral health status and overall well being."

First 5 LA currently is working with the Dental Health Foundation, a health advocacy group, on an oral health project utilizing Women, Infants and Children (WIC) centers and community health centers.  The program, called the L.A. County WIC Dental Visit Collaborative, is set to launch this month and will feature seven community health clinics partnering with one or more WIC centers on oral health education and prevention.   
For further information on the study contact Bárzaga at (213) 482-9387 or CBarzaga@first5LA.org. 

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