Potential Infections In Your Mouth Mouth and throat diseases, which range from cavities to cancer, cause pain and disability for millions of Americans each year. This fact is disturbing because almost all oral diseases can be prevented. For children, cavities are a common problem that begins at an early age. Tooth decay affects more than one-fourth of U.S. children aged 2–5 and half of those aged 12–15. Low-income children are hardest hit: about half of those aged 6–19 have untreated decay. Untreated cavities can cause pain, dysfunction, absence from school, underweight, and poor appearance—problems that can greatly reduce a child’s capacity to succeed in life. In 2006, Americans made about 500 million visits to dentists, and an estimated $94 billion was spent on dental services. Yet many children and adults still go without measures that have been proven effective in preventing oral diseases and reducing dental care costs. For example, over 100 million Americans still do not have access to water that contains enough fluoride to protect their teeth, even though the per capita cost of water fluoridation over a person’s lifetime is less than the cost of one dental filling. Through the Prevention Research Centers, CDC supports research to examine the effectiveness of innovative strategies to promote oral health in predominantly low-income, ethnically diverse communities. For example, one project is testing whether the Activities of Daily Living tool that home care workers use to assess health care support and service needs can be used to address the oral health needs of the homebound elderly. Another program trains older adults to teach oral health to children—an approach that bene?ts both age groups. Partners in these efforts include schools of public health and dentistry, professional groups, and state health departments. CDC continues to expand activities that support a range of community approaches to promote adult oral health and reduce oral disease. These approaches include monitoring oral health status, expanding partnerships, supporting prevention research, and increasing public and professional awareness of common oral conditions, risk factors, and healthy behaviors. Contact a Local Dentist to learn more about how to maintain your oral heath!