Oral Health

Jump to another page... Introduction Oral Health of Adults Oral Health of Children Smoking Community water flouridation Cost Effectiveness of Community Water Fluoridation.. General practice dentists to population ratio Recommendations

Community water flouridation

The Healthy People 2010 objective on water fluoridation is to increase the proportion of the U.S. population served by community water systems with fluoridated water to 75 percent. In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cited community water fluoridation “…as one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century.” In Texas in 2005, 66 percent of the state population received fluoridated water.⁵⁷ Voters in Bexar County approved a measure for community water fluoridation in 2000. Bexar County provides fluoridated water to 93.5% of the residents who receive water from public water supplies.

Cost Effectiveness of Community Water Fluoridation and School-Based/School-Linked Sealant Programs

Oral disease has a profound impact on our productivity and future potential. Each year, dental disease is responsible for 164 million of lost work hours. In 1986, dental related illness contributed to 20.9 million lost work days. More than 51 million school hours are missed each year related to dental illness. This burden is felt in greater numbers by low income families and families that experience other health care disparities and that have limited access to oral health care services. Therefore, community-based preventive services are necessary to reduce the impact of oral diseases.

Community water fluoridation continues as one of the most cost-effective preventive measures to reduce the burden of dental caries (dental decay) in the population. Griffin, et al. reported an estimate of annual cost savings per person of $18.62 per year for a community with a population greater than 200,000. An annual savings of $148.9 million dollars was estimated to be saved annually in Colorado by community water fluoridation programs. This estimate contributes to a per capita annual savings of $60.78. These recent studies clearly demonstrate a continued effectiveness and cost savings linked to community water fluoridation.

Dental sealants prevent dental cavities and reduce the cost of treatment, especially among high risk children. Sealants have been shown to be effective in preventing decay on the pit and fissure surfaces. In a study by Weintraub, sealing teeth resulted in a cost savings when compared to unsealed teeth. The greatest savings was observed for high-risk children where the report noted a cost savings of more than $15.00 per tooth over 9 years.¹³ The Surgeon General’s Report supported these findings and noted the cost effectiveness of community-based sealant programs in high risk populations3

General practice dentists to population ratio

The ratio of direct care dentists to the population per 100,000 in the year 2004 is 40 for the Bexar County with 597 being the number of dentists practicing general dentistry. Data from the last 12 years show that these rates are constant for Texas and for Harris and Bexar Counties. The distribution of dentists is better than physician distribution but only 22 percent practice in the southern part of Bexar County. The distribution in the South Texas Medical Center and Downtown areas is not as concentrated as physicians but 60 percent of dentist practice in the Northwest and Central areas.

Recommendations

Community water fluoridation, school-based dental sealant programs and tobacco cessation programs are proven strategies to eliminate oral health disparities, and have been strongly recommended by the Task Force on Community Preventive Services as effective for the prevention of oral diseases.⁵⁸

Recommendations to improve oral health include:

• Change perceptions of local policymakers and the public regarding oral health and disease so that oral health becomes an accepted component of general health.
• Apply science effectively and integrate evidence-based public health practice and prevention to improve oral health in Bexar County.
• Build an effective oral health infrastructure at the local level that meets the oral health needs of Bexar County and integrates oral health effectively into overall health.
• Strengthen workforce capacity and ensure access to oral health care services provided by a responsive, competent, and diverse workforce.
• Remove known barriers between persons living in Bexar County and oral health services.

Use public-private partnerships and build on common goals to improve the oral health of those in Bexar County who still suffer disproportionately from oral diseases.