Meet the Challenge
Mark Ghaffari, winner of the Olympic silver medal, has taken on his new challenger- dental decay. The results are in and he's also a winner when it comes to helping children maintain a healthy smile. Mr. Ghaffari is the acting spokesperson for Oral Health America's (OHA) National Sealant Campaign, "Seal - A - Million Challenge". The campaign seeks to apply sealants to one million teeth throughout the nation by the year 2002.
A sealant is a thin plastic coating painted on the chewing surfaces of the teeth. Approximately 90% of dental decay in children occurs in the pits and fissures found on the chewing surfaces. By covering the pits and fissures of teeth with dental sealants, dental decay can be prevented.
According to OHA, in some parts of our country more than 30% of tooth decay in high risk children remains untreated. Increasing the uses of dental sealants would protect the health and well being of under-served communities.
The following are some of the objectives OHA's National Sealant Campaign seek to meet:
- Increase public and professional awareness of the importance of sealants.
- Increase access to sealants for under-privileged children.
- Provide technical assistance for expansion and improvement of community and school programs to treat under-served children.
- Conduct follow-up studies in the use and effectiveness of sealants
If you have not already had your children's teeth sealed, talk to your dentist about this highly effective way to prevent decay.