I joined the Juvenile Justice Partnership for their October 26, 2012 meeting at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse. The JPP gathers monthly to discuss a host of issues impacting our juvenile justice system in Mecklenburg County.
We provided an overview of Care Ring, as well as some of the challenges our community faces with adult and children’s oral health.
Some sobering statistics:
Nationally, roughly 1 in 4 adults have untreated dental caries – and the incidence is highest among those living at or below the Federal Poverty Level
The Emergency Room serves as the default point of access for many folks lacking dental coverage – research suggests up to 5% of all ER visits are for toothaches
There continue to be pervasive disparities in dental care for children from lower income families. Upwards of 30% of kindergartners in some of our high poverty schools already have visible dental decay
A recent study suggests over half of all parents in North Carolina do not think primary teeth with cavities need to be filled
There is so much work to be done in our community to improve the quality of dental care for adults with limited resources and their children…At Care Ring we are honored to be at the table to help community leaders find and implement solutions.
#CareRing #DonJonas #MecklenburgCounty #oralhealth