Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016

HAWAI`I COUNTY’S CHILDREN HAVE THE HIGHEST PREVALENCE OF TOOTH DECAY in the United States, according to the state Department of Health. Also, the burden of oral disease is significantly greater in certain segments of the population. For example, tooth decay is disproportionately experienced statewide by low-income children, defined as those who are eligible for the National School Lunch Program. About 31 percent of children eligible for NSLP have untreated tooth decay compared to 13 percent for those not eligible. The disparities gap is even more pronounced when looking at urgent dental needs due to pain and/or infection. The need for urgent dental care is more than five times higher in low-income children compared to their higher-income peers (13 percent vs. two percent respectively).

      In its report Hawai`i Smiles, DOH takes its first in-depth look at the oral health status of a representative sample of third-grade children throughout the state. During the 2014-2015 school year, a total of 3,184 third-grade children in 67 public elementary schools on six islands received dental screenings. Third-grade children were screened because third grade is the target elementary school population for the National Oral Health Surveillance System. The findings support the need for culturally appropriate, community-based prevention programs, screening and referral services, and restorative dental care to improve the oral health of Hawai`i’s children

      According to the report, more than seven out of 10 third-graders (71 percent) statewide are affected by tooth decay; substantially higher than the national average of 52 percent. Almost one out of four third-graders (22 percent) in Hawai`i has untreated tooth decay, demonstrating that many children are not getting the dental care they need. About seven percent of Hawai`i’s third-grade children are in need of urgent dental care because of pain or infection. If applied to all children in kindergarten to sixth grade, more than 6,600 children in Hawai`i’s public elementary schools experience pain or infection due to dental disease on any given day. More than 60 percent of children in Hawai`i do not have protective dental sealants, a safe, simple, cost-effective clinical intervention to prevent tooth decay in molars.

      There are significant oral health disparities by income, as well as by race/ethnicity, among third-graders in Hawai`i. Third-graders living in Kaua`i, Hawai`i, and Maui Counties are more likely to have experienced tooth decay than children living in Honolulu County.

      DOH urges preventing tooth decay. Medical, dental and public health professionals must focus dental disease prevention efforts on families with children less than two years of age, because two is too late. The American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Association of Pediatricians all recommend preventive dental care and parent education by age one.

      Evidence-based strategies for preventing tooth decay in children include applying a fluoride varnish twice a year to the teeth of all infants and children starting when the first tooth comes into the mouth at about six months of age. Fluoride varnish can be applied at medical and dental clinics and in community settings such as preschools and WIC programs.

      Parents should brush children’s teeth with fluoride toothpaste twice a day as soon as teeth appear in the mouth.
      Community water fluoridation has been shown to prevent tooth decay in both children and adults.
      Daily fluoride supplementation starting at six months of age is recommended for children whose water supply does not contain fluoride. Limiting food and beverages with added sugars will prevent dental decay and other health issues.
      All children should be referred to a dentist as early as six months of age to establish a dental home. Following that initial visit, most children should have a dental examination at least once a year; some high risk children may need more frequent examinations.
      Dental sealants are placed to protect the chewing surface of the permanent molars soon after they come into the mouth around six and 12 years of age.
      According to DOH, decreasing dental disease among a child’s caregivers benefits the oral health of the child. It also suggests that early education regarding infant oral health can be shared with pregnant mothers and caregivers through routine oral health care.

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      Topics include Latest Tendencies in the Processing of Specialty Coffee, Benefits of Using Cal-Carbonate to Correct Low pH Soils, Herding Predatory Flat Bark Beetles, Impact of Ka`u Soil Type/Qualities on Crop Nutrition Decisions, and several discussions related to coffee berry borer control.

      The workshop takes place at Pahala Community Center from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break at 11:30 a.m.
      RSVP to Laura Diaz at laura@ldomarket.com, 928-8188 or 408-306-5596.