From the web, courtesy of The Jackson (miss) Free Press.
Something I’ve been talking about for years (see: Dr. Markus Discusses the Harmful Effects of Soda at http://www.cent4dent.com/html/office_info/media.htm)
Here is the Article
ABC’s 20/20 is showing a special episode tonight at 9 PM CT called “A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains” which highlights poverty-stricken children of Appalachia. One of the many issues facing these children is rampant tooth decay and tooth loss. A Kentucky dentist, Dr. Edwin Smith, helps children in his area by offering free dental care in his mobile clinic. Dr. Smith blames a lot of the cavities he sees on excessive Mountain Dew consumption.
Central Appalachia is No. 1 in the nation in toothlessness. According to dentists, one of the main culprits is Mountain Dew soda. With 50 percent more caffeine than Coke or Pepsi, Mountain Dew seems to be used as a kind of anti-depressant for children in the hills.
Kids drink the soda in school, at football games and before going to bed at night. And drinking the sugary soda loaded with caffeine often starts early. Dentists speak about families who put soda in baby bottles.
“Other sodas, too,” said Smith, “but Mountain Dew is unique because it has a lot of sugar and a lot of acid. If you’re taking a drink every 20 minutes, that’s like bathing the teeth in it all day.”
“It’s just rampant decay,” adds Dr. Stacie Moore-Martin of the Mud Creek Clinic in Grethel, Ky. “People are addicted to Mountain Dew. It’s terrible.”
Pepsi, the makers of Mountain Dew, told ABC News in an initial statement that it’s preposterous to blame soft drinks for dental decay, saying that raisins and cookies stay in the mouth longer. They added that a balanced diet and proper dental hygiene like flossing and brushing teeth after meals and snacks should prevent decay.
After a report on the topic aired on “Good Morning America” Thursday, Pepsi sent an additional statement saying that their products “consumed in moderation, can be part of a healthy, balanced diet.”
They said the company is “continually expanding our offerings of healthier, more nutritious products” and that they “offer a wide range of sugar-free and caffeine-free products.” They also said they are working with schools, non-profits and the government to educate people about healthier lifestyles. CLICK HERE for the full statement.
The dental dilemma in Kentucky is that nearly one out of every two of the state’s children are enrolled in Medicaid, but barely a quarter of dentists accept the insurance. So for the Appalachian families on Medicaid, they often have few options when or if they want to see a dentist.
So, who’s really to blame for “Mountain Dew Mouth”? Pepsi? The children who drink it? The parents? The dentists who don’t accept Medicaid? Our health care system?
What do you think? My Reply The children and the parents need to be better educated, especially if they don’t have dental insurance (and Medicaid isn’t dental insurance). This is condition which, if the parents knew the devastation it caused would have to be paid for by them, or they would watch the consequences of their inaction. It certainly would not be the dentists who don’t accept Medicaid. This would be akin to asking someone who already gave a considerable donation to an organization to match it 10x over. Blame it on the health care system? Possibly there’s been a breakdown in the amount of information that has been conveyed to parents. But ultimately the blame lies with the government not being able to curb the use of this health killer, and get the dramatic photos of cases caused by sipping the Dew into the public’s hands.
All parents should be required to watch this video: http://i.abcnews.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6870419