Rewarding news regarding the prevention of dental decay and the improvement of dental health in kids comes to us through a pediatrician. Dentists should take notice. The American Public Health Association honored 80-year-old Minnesota pediatrician, Dr. Amos Deinard, with a national lifetime achievement award for public health dentistry. Dr. Deinard is a hero for taking professional responsibility for “the silent epidemic” of dental decay. He advocates children receive fluoride varnish treatments at their routine pediatric visits. He is quoted in Gail Rosenblum Star Tribune article as saying, “Tooth decay doesn’t kill a lot of people, but low-income kids are missing school due to an abscessed tooth, with pain so bad they can’t study. Then they go to the emergency room and are treated for the pain and sent home with advice to see their dentist. But everyone knows there is no dentist who will take them.”
At ADT Dental, we too are taking professional responsibility for this epidemic through our nonprofit Ready Set Smile. In Minnesota 55% of third graders have dental decay, however, the majority of these children come from low resource families. The application of fluoride varnish is recommended four times each year for children at high risk for dental decay. Through Ready Set Smile, we are able to bring this service directly into the schools with low resource populations. These families can be guaranteed access to this simple treatment that prevents decay.
The staff of ADT Dental and Ready Set Smile thank Dr. Amos Deinard for his leadership and congratulate him on this lifetime achievement award!
To read Gail Rosenblum’s article about Dr. Amos Deinard go to:
http://m.startribune.com/rosenblum-a-hero-for-kids-dental-health/351415341/