Dental Facts to Think about...

1 in 5 children live in poverty in Missouri
250,000 children in Missouri live at or below the poverty level
98,000 children in Missouri live in extreme poverty (1/2 of the poverty level)
Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease in... 53% of all 6-8 year olds
Tooth decay is dramatically on the rise for children ages 0-5 years old
84% of all 17 year olds and older have or have had tooth decay
Over 52 million school hours and over 140 million work hours are missed each year due to dental problems
Over 40% of all Americans fail to see a dentist every year - this number climbs to 70% within the poor population
Access to quality dental care is a major concern for the underserved
Medicaid providers are limited in numbers in Missouri - 3 major reasons:
- inadequate funding by the Medicaid system
- broken appointments by patients complicate the treatment
- burdensome paper work for offices reduces provider numbers