PLAINFIELD - Plainfield School District's nurses were concerned to bring dentists into the schools, saying that they are seeing an increase of students with tooth pain and also dental decay which prevents them from focusing on learning.
However, three school board members who were serve on the personnel and administration committee also expressed concerns Wednesday about pulling students out of the class for something that should be parents' responsibility.
The committee decided that the issue must be brought to the whole school board for discussion at its 7:30 p.m. meeting tonight at the administration center, 15732 Howard St.
This year, there is a new state law requiring dental exams for all the students in kindergarten, second and sixth grades which must be performed after November 15, 2004, and before the May 15, 2006 is the deadline.
Laurie Inda, nursing coordinator for the district, recommends bringing Smile Illinois into the five schools as a pilot program in May.
If students have cavities, they will have to see a regular dentist.
"We don't do it for inoculations. I don't see how this would be any different. ... I don't see this as a priority at this time," she said, adding that the program doesn't require parents to get follow-up treatment like filling cavities.
"You are right, we are not a Chicago Public School, but we are seeing more and more kids who need these services," Inda said. "We have two families living in one house saying they don't have dental insurance.
"Children who have dental pain will have a difficult time in the classroom. Healthy children learn better as they are more comfortable in the classroom," Inda said. "We do see kids with obvious decay in their teeth."
Board member Linda Johnson was concerned about students' missing 30 minutes of class time because they were getting their teeth cleaned. She was also concerned that parents who already had dental insurance would send their children to the Smile Illinois program to save themselves time. Meanwhile, she said, the children who really need the program wouldn't be reached.
"Children are sitting in pain in these classrooms and can't learn and we see this all the time," Pentzien said. "We work with the children who don't get to see a dentist any other time.
"Oftentimes we are the only dental provider the children will ever visit," Pentzien said. "Our mission is to increase the quality of life for these children. ... Prevention is our focus and our passion."

In a part of statewide program which is sponsored by Delta Dental Plan of Colorado, It is a perfect Teeth and Kaiser Permanente, two fort Morgan dentists is offering one day of free dental care for children who are uninsured in Colorado.
The dentists who are going to take over the events are Dr. Robert Dillard and Dr. Maribel Reyes; both are from Salud Family Health Center.
The free care will be taken place on April 29, Saturday, as a part of Delta's smile-a-bration. Free dental exams, cleanings, fillings, X-rays, teeth sealants, crowns and extractions to uninsured children will be restricted up to age 18.
This is the fourth annual event marked by Delta Dental in offering free dental care of children without visiting dentist, a press release from Delta Dental stated.
More than 2,400 kids were benefited last year, and 130 dentists and 15 Perfect Teeth clinics have donated $50,000 to this year's program. Hope more number of children will be benefited this year too.

A visit to the dentist could be very painful and costly, not only for you, but can also for your medical insurance company. Most medical insurance companies will have to pay for procedures done in foreign countries, and it's legal rule for patients to have them done dental care abroad. The problem is the Federal Bureau of Investigation reports dental fraud is becoming a major and serious problem along the U.S. -Mexico border.
"What we tend to see is that there are dentists in Mexico who are fraudulently billing U.S. insurance companies," said Andrea Simmons, a special agent with the FBI.
"I was motivated to get it done there because the cost was supposed to be less than here," said Richard Meagher of West El Paso. In fact, some Mexican dentists will waive your deductible, but dentists on this side of the border said patients are not getting the same quality care.
"When you go somewhere such as Mexico they don't require the same lengthy degree program we do here in the U.S. Many of the programs are a combination of undergraduate schooling and dentistry where their level of education is just not equal to the United States' programs," said Daniel Castro, an El Paso dentist..
"If you go to a legitimate dentist and say, 'I've got to have this done,' and the insurance company says, 'I'm sorry, we've paid out the maximum on your plan for this year,' the patient is stuck having to pay for that procedure," said Simmons.
Despite these facts, some El Pasoans who can't afford dental care tend to insist on getting treatment across the border. In some cases it can lead to medical complications also.
"My father-in-law got his dentures in Mexico, and he can't even eat with them because they're too large for his mouth. But I would be tempted to go because dental insurance is to expensive, and I would loved to have my teeth worked on," said Debbie Cadena from West El Paso.
The FBI states medical insurance companies lose millions of dollars a year to fraud, which forces them to increase their rates.
The FBI also warns malpractice insurance is now very different in Mexico, where doctors are not compulsory to have it. Therefore, filing a lawsuit against a Mexican dentist can be difficult.
In order for consumers to protect themselves and their insurance company against fraud, they should make sure the date of service on their insurance statements coincides with the day a procedure is done. Consumers should also keep track of what procedures the dentist performed to make sure their insurance company isn't getting billed for additional procedures. Patients who don't understand the medical terms on their statement should contact their insurance company, not their dentist.

Orlando, FL (AHN) - A survey on seniors' access to dental care was conducted by researchers at the University at Buffalo and Buffalo State College presented a clenching picture of the dental needs to the oldest in the communities.
Researchers found that only 11 percent of 273 respondents had dental insurance policy. And more than half (52 percent) of that number were listed financial need as the greatest barrier to receiving dental insurance.
Kimberly Zittel-Palamara, M.S.W., Ph.D., says, "Little is known about the dental-care needs of urban-versus-rural-dwelling seniors in this part of New York State," said Zittel-Palamara. ".
She continues, "Our study showed similar findings in Western New York. Programs designed to improve access to dental care need to be sensitive to regional differences."
Results showed that 1 in 3 respondents rated access to the dental care "fair-to-poor." Nearly three-fourths -- 71 percent -- of urban dwellers were indicated they had seen a dentist within past year, compared to 58 percent of rural dwellers. Twenty percent of the rural dwellers and 15 percent of urban dwellers had not seen a dentist for six or more years.
Zittel-Palamara says the ultimate goal of the study is to encourage the dentists to integrate social workers and other disciplines into their practices to help senior patients obtain better access to dental care.

Emergency dental care for poor and people with no insurance in Benton County will be available starting Tuesday.
Housed in the Samaritan Community Center at 1211 W. Hudson Road, the Samaritan Dental Clinic will be staffed by the volunteer dentists and other health professionals. The initial hours will be Tuesday evenings from 5 to 8, and participants must meet with a Samaritan social worker before scheduling a dental appointment.
Debbie Rambo, director of the center, said volunteers spent nearly half a year transforming two bathrooms into two dental offices, complete with exam chairs and and an X-ray machine, which were donated. The offices passed inspections Thursday, and four patients are scheduled for the clinic's first day, Rambo said.
Dr. Jill Pike will coordinate the clinic, and Rambo said five other dentists have show interest in volunteering. The clinic hours may include afternoons once more volunteers add their services. For now, the clinic will only accept patients who have oral infections or need teeth pulled. Restorative services, such as filling cavities, may be available as the clinic grows. "It's just needed period in this area," said Pike, who sees patients in Bentonville and Anderson, Mo., and has been on dental missions to Mexico.
Pike said she expects the number of volunteer dentists to swell in coming weeks. For now, she said, the clinic's goal is to get people out of pain and then address their spiritual needs. "I just want to give God all the glory for this. He's the one that's making this all come together," Pike said.

In order to address the growing dental health needs of thousands of children throughout the state, the Massachusetts Dental Care Society has planed to develop a new dental access program to help children whose families have no dental care insurance and who are also not eligible for government assistance.
Mass Dentists combining Access with Reduced Price and Expense is a program for children through age 18 from income eligible families who do not have either Mass Health Insurance or private Dental Insurance. Participating MDS dentists have volunteered to charge reduced fees for approved procedures that a child receives

One of the largest group of uninsured individuals in Massachusetts are consists of children of working parents. In fact, of the 85 percent of uninsured Bay Stators, at least one person in the family works full time or the part time. And more than half of them have family members who work full time throughout the year. Despite being employed, many are not in the position afford private dental insurance, and they may not qualify for Mass Health because they are making too much money. According to a 2004 survey from the Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy, 42 percent of uninsured children in the state had not visited a dentist for at least one year.
Those interested in applying for the Mass Dentists CARE program should write to the Massachusetts Dental Society for an application (one application per family) at Mass Dentists CARE, c/o Massachusetts Dental Society, 2 Willow St., Suite 200, Southborough, MA 01745.

In a part of statewide program which is sponsored by Delta Dental Plan of Colorado, It is a perfect Teeth and Kaiser Permanente, two fort Morgan dentists is offering one day of free dental care for children who are uninsured in Colorado.
The dentists who are going to take over the events are Dr. Robert Dillard and Dr. Maribel Reyes; both are from Salud Family Health Center.
The free care will be taken place on April 29, Saturday, as a part of Delta's smile-a-bration. Free dental exams, cleanings, fillings, X-rays, teeth sealants, crowns and extractions to uninsured children will be restricted up to age 18.
This is the fourth annual event marked by Delta Dental in offering free dental care of children without visiting dentist, a press release from Delta Dental stated.

More than 2,400 kids were benefited last year, and 130 dentists and 15 Perfect Teeth clinics have donated $50,000 to this year's program. Hope more number of children will be benefited this year too.

On April 7, 2006 - A Survey was conducted by researchers at University at Buffalo and Buffalo State College on senior's access to dental care and the report presents a sobering picture of the dental need and barriers experienced by seniors in dental care.

The result showed that only 11 percent of 273 senior have had active dental insurance. Nothing wound ring, given that figure, more than half - 52 percent - listed financial need as the great barrier to receiving dental care.

"Little is known about the dental-care needs of urban-versus-rural-dwelling seniors in this part of New York State," said Zittel-Palamara. "Earlier research indicated that seniors who live in rural areas have less access to dental care than their urban-dwelling contemporaries

Our study showed similar findings in Western New York. Programs designed to improve access to dental care need to be sensitive to regional differences."

The results showed that access to dental care is rated "fair-to-poor" by 1 in 3 respondents. Nearly three-fourths -- 71 percent -- of urban dwellers indicated they had seen a dentist within the past year, compared to 58 percent of rural dwellers. Twenty percent of rural dwellers and 15 percent of urban dwellers had not seen a dentist for six or more years.

Zittel-Palamara said the ultimate goal of this study is to encourage dentists to integrate social workers and other disciplines into their practices to help senior patients obtain better access to dental care. In addition, the study aims to spur development of programs to help seniors get dental insurance, she said, and to establish the need for a mobile dental van to serve local senior-center sites.

• Beginning at birth, gently run a damp cloth along your baby's gums after each feeding.
• Once a baby tooth appears, brush it twice a day with a soft, baby toothbrush and a pea-sized amount of baby toothpaste. This should be done up to age 4.
• Once two teeth come in that touch each other begin to floss your child's teeth each day.
• Your baby should have her first dentist appointment within six months of her first tooth, or by her first birthday.
• Avoid giving your baby sugary or sticky foods, and don't send her to bed with a bottle of juice, milk or formula. The sugars in these beverages will stick to her teeth and can cause decay.