Tooth decay prevalent in Spokane kids

When it comes to tooth decay, Spokane-area children are doing worse than they have in 12 years, a statewide survey shows.

The Spokane Regional Health District released local results of the Smile Survey 2005 that showed 62 percent of elementary school students already had cavities or fillings, worse than the state rate of 59 percent, and far worse than the national rate of 28 percent.

“We know how to prevent cavities, and we have excellent treatment,” said Dr. Kim Thorburn, health officer for the Spokane Regional Health District. “We are not doing so well with prevention. That means community water fluoridation.”

Washington state Department of Health spokesman Jeff Smith concurred with Thorburn’s endorsement of fluoridation. But proposals to fluoridate community water systems have been proven unpopular in Spokane, failing at the ballot in 1969, 1984 and 2000. The last initiative lost by 1,339 votes.

“Washington has been slow in doing fluoridation,” Smith said.

He added that access to dental care is also a problem, particularly in rural areas where low-income residents may be miles away from low-cost or free dental care.

The survey of 8,900 preschool, elementary school and Native American children showed that children of low-income families, children of color and non-English-speaking children were more likely to have dental disease.

The children of families whose primary language was not English had a “rampant” cavity rate – meaning cavities in seven or more teeth – of 62.5 percent, compared to a rate of 16.5 percent for English-speaking children.

“There are measurable differences in dental health problems when age, race or ethnicity, and income are concerned,” Thorburn said. “Decay history, untreated decay and those needing urgent treatment are higher in populations facing health disparities.”

She said that although access has improved since 2000 across the state, approximately one-quarter of low income preschool children still have untreated tooth decay. This can lead to unnecessary pain, difficulty in speaking, chewing and swallowing, increased cost of care and loss of self-esteem.

Local dentists and the Spokane Regional Health District’s Access to Baby and Child Dentistry program have increased access to dental care for low-income children, but many parents may not know that their children are eligible, Thorburn said.

In the Smile Survey, the state screened second- and third-grade students enrolled in Washington public schools and low-income preschool students enrolled in Head Start and Early Childhood and Education Assistance Programs. Also, the survey collected information from Indian Health Services on Native American children living in or near tribal communities.

Some Spokane County findings include:

“35.2 percent of preschool children and 62 percent of elementary school children already had cavities or fillings.

“11.4 percent of preschool and 14.7 percent of elementary school children had untreated dental decay.

“11.9 percent of preschool and 17.6 percent of elementary school children had a history of rampant decay.

In the Panhandle Health District, which includes Idaho’s five most northern counties, only about 17 percent of kids reported active decay – the lowest by far of any region in the state.

North Idaho’s success likely can be attributed to an aggressive public health campaign that has provided fluoride rinses in public schools since about 1978, said Mary Jo Sauber, a public health dental hygienist with the Panhandle Health District.

Thorburn said she has been a consistent advocate for community water fluoridation, adding that of all public health interventions, this has been among the most studied for safety. Only immunization has had as much scrutiny over the past 50 years, she said.