In Gallup, New Mexico, a 15-year-old Native American boy fell into a permanent coma after a preventable dental emergency went wrong.In Washington state, an 8-year-old girl suffered in pain from an abscessed tooth for three weeks while her mother searched for a dentist to accep ther Medicaid insurance and pull the little girl’s tooth. In Maryland, a young boy with a bright smile died from an infection caused by untreated tooth decay. These stories are not uncommon.
Dental disease is the number one chronic illness among children in America. Poor children and children of color are disproportionately affected.
