Dental decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease — five times more common than asthma. Tooth decay is a significant health problem in Kitsap County, especially for low-income and minority preschoolers. According to the 2005 Smile Survey conducted by the Department of Health and the Kitsap County Health District 42 percent of these children already have cavities and of those, 18 percent had cavities in seven or more teeth.

Access for these children is an issue, as well. Currently in Kitsap there are over 7,000 Medicaid eligible children five years of age and younger, but less than a third of this population utilizes dental services. Access to affordable dental care was ranked as the most critical need on the recently completed United Way community assessment. When children do not have access to preventive oral health care services it can affect their general health as well as their school readiness.

Oral disease is a leading cause of school absenteeism. Children who are in pain have difficulty eating right and focusing on their schoolwork. Dental disease is also expensive. It can cost $140 to fill just one cavity. The lifetime cost of a single cavity is more than $2,000.

Kids who don’t receive preventive care and early treatment can end up with numerous cavities. They often have abscessed teeth and other problems that lead them to seek expensive care in overcrowded emergency rooms or even in operating rooms. In a recent 5-month period (Aug. 1 – Dec. 31, 2006), Harrison Medical Center’s Emergency Services Department treated 28 pediatric patients with dental related issues.

The good news is dental disease is preventable.

We know that the cost of prevention is miniscule compared to treatment and that early prevention significantly reduces future dental care costs. Yet less than 26 percent of Kitsap County children through age six who are eligible for dental care from Medicaid have been receiving care — until now.

In Kitsap County an innovative approach has been initiated that will improve the oral health of many children in our community. Kitsap joined 25 other counties in our state in offering the Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (ABCD) program to address the real problems caused by dental disease among our youngest residents.

ABCD is valuable because it helps children at a very young age start on the right track toward good oral health. ABCD begins with a key premise: baby teeth matter. They are important for a lifetime of good oral and overall health.

The ABCD program counsels parents on good oral health practices, emphasizing that all children should be screened for cavities by their first birthday. Contrary to “conventional wisdom” of years past, experts now agree that parents shouldn’t wait until their children are three or older to have that first oral health check-up.

ABCD provides preventive and restorative dental care for Medicaid-eligible infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The program identifies and enrolls eligible children and matches each child with an ABCD certified dentist who is specially trained in pediatric techniques and preventive services such as fluoride varnishes and oral health counseling.

ABCD in Kitsap County is a collaborative effort of the Kitsap County Health District, the Kitsap County Dental Society, United Way of Kitsap County, the state Medicaid Program, University of Washington and WDS Foundation. Washington Dental Service Foundation provides start-up grants during the first three years of program operation, with the health department and Medicaid matching funds covering the balance of the program’s budget. The ABCD Program is an example of how United Way is involved in the Kitsap community and how United Way strategically plans with other agencies to meet critical community needs.

If we care about children’s health and their ability to succeed in school and life, we must also care about their oral health. A child is not truly healthy without a healthy mouth. Our state and community need to support more efforts such as ABCD that focus on prevention.

If we are going to stem the rising tide of dental disease in our state, we need polices that encourage prevention. We need to promote healthy food and beverage choices in schools and increase access though program such as ABCD, so children can get preventive care. Finally we must provide a sustainable source of funding earmarked for prevention. It’s not enough to teach our kids about good hygiene habits and the importance of oral health — our policies must reinforce our words.