ADPH releases concerning report about about oral health among children

MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) — A report from the Alabama Department of Public Health highlights concerning data about oral health among children.

The document reviews the burden of oral disease in Alabama and includes 2020-2022 tooth decay survey results from fifty-two public elementary schools in the state. The results were compared to national statistics and Alabama survey results from 2011 to 2013.

According to the survey results, the amount of Alabama kindergartners and third graders who have experienced decay is lower than national averages and survey results from 2011 to 2013. However, 22% of kindergartners and 23% of third graders had untreated tooth decay. Both of those percentages surpassed national and 2011–2013 results.

State Dental Director Dr. Tommy Johnson says there are various reasons for this discrepancy, such as dentist retention in the state and access to care.

“We’ve got three counties in the state that don’t have a dentist at all. We have other counties that have one dentist, and they may be 60 years old. We have some that the only dentist that is there on a part-time basis,” said Johnson.

Johnson says a decrease in community water fluoridation could also be contributing to these numbers. Mobile County Health Department Health Officer Dr. Kevin Michaels agrees that community water fluoridation is important for oral health.

“Not all of our water facilities in the county fluoridate or put fluoride in there, but what large studies have shown those communities that have fluoride in the water have lower dental cavities or dental problems in that population down the road,” said Michaels.

According to the CDC, only four water systems in Mobile County fluoridate the water and in Baldwin County all but three water systems fluoridate the water. While not all children may have access to fluoridated water, Michaels says there are other alternatives.

“They can put sort of a fluoride varnish on the teeth to kind of protect it. They can also give fluoride supplementation to the mom to give to the child or to the caregiver,” he said.

Johnson says there is a lot of concern about the data in the report, but it is not all negative. He hopes it will shine a new light on the topic and the future of oral health for the children of Alabama.

“Now we have a background for the demographics. We have something to compare to. We have something to know this is where we are starting from and how we will go from there,” he said.