"Preventable oral diseases still afflict the majority of America's children. This is especially true for children from families with low incomes, children in minority groups and children with special health care needs. These children experience greater levels of disease and unmet need and bear most of the burden of unnecessary pain, suffering and compromise to their total health. In the United States, 25% of children and adolescents— typically the most vulnerable— experience 80% of all dental decay occurring in permanent teeth."
– from "Oral Disease: A Crisis Among Children of Poverty"
Our community of Madison and Dane County mirrors this national information. There are many citizens who do not have access to preventive or restorative oral health care. They are the homeless, families in poverty, those who are uninsured or underinsured, the disabled and those with special healthcare needs and older adults on limited incomes, just to name a few.
For more information about the oral health crisis in Dane County:
