What is Oral Health?
Good mouth health is essential to good overall health. Dr. C. Everett Koop, former U.S. Surgeon General and Chairman of the national initiative called Oral Health 2000 has said, “You're not healthy without good oral health.” The first-ever Surgeon General's report on oral health identified a "silent epidemic" of dental and oral diseases that burdens some population groups and called for a national effort to improve oral health among all Americans.
There is a known relationship between oral health, including dental health, with overall good health throughout life.
- Poor oral health has been linked to heart disease, low birth weight and diabetes.
- Dental decay (cavities) is the single most common chronic disease of childhood, occurring five to eight times as frequently as asthma.
- Despite the reduction in cases of decay in recent years, more than half of all children have cavities by the second grade, and by the time students finish high school, about 80 percent have cavities.
- Unless arrested early, dental decay is irreversible.
Dental centers:
Northern Counties Health Care Dental Service Area