Newsletter

"Progressing Through Diversity Excelling Through Unity"

ACS/GDS/NGDS/MCG Joining Together To Promote the Importance of Oral Healthcare

    In conjunction with the Georgia Dental Society, The Medical College of Georgia and the North Georgia Dental Society, ACS State Healthcare launched in 2004 a comprehensive dental educational campaign targeting at-risk and underserved children in Georgia.

Tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease - 5 times more common than asthma. Children from low-income families suffer twice as many dental cavities as their more affluent peers, and their disease is more likely to be untreated. Pain and suffering due to untreated diseases lead to problems in eating, speaking, and paying attention in school. According to Georgia's teachers, dental problems are one of the two most frequently cited reasons that children miss school (along with vision problems.) In fact, children's dental-related illnesses are responsible for more than 51 million lost school hours each year.

Through targeted educational outreach, the ACS Dental Outreach Initiative provides free screenings and educational seminars on preventative dental care to underserved children. The mission of the ACS health care initiative is to educate children in underserved communities on quality dental care, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Georgia residents.