Uc Science Today

Does poverty affect children’s teeth? A study by the University of California, San Francisco found that low-income patients were at higher risk of developing cavities, than those with means. UCSF School of Dentistry professor Peter Rechmann surveyed patients who receive dental care at California’s subsidized clinics. "If you go with me into the clinics, and we take a look and there are 80-something people sitting. You will be frustrated how much cavities you see, how much teeth, which are destroyed right now." But Rechmann says we shouldn’t blame income alone for poor dental hygiene. "The income on its own actually doesn’t matter at all. It’s just if someone suffers to survive, he doesn’t have the time to spend x minutes of taking care of their teeth." Rechmann believes instead of drilling, dentists should focus more on preventive care and better educating patients about caries risk. He says more than 30 universities across the United States have joined efforts to follow this path of dental care.