Oral Health

By Bridget Walsh Most people don’t know a great deal about oral health. For example, did you know that tooth decay is a communicable disease? Or that it is the most common chronic childhood disease? These facts are largely unknown by the public and policymakers because, despite the terrible human cost and the significant health costs associated with dental disease, oral health rarely garners the same attention as other health issues.  Oral health—the health of the teeth, the gums and the rest of the mouth—is not usually included in what we traditionally consider health care. Think about it for a moment. Most people receive their dental care outside the usual medical setting and pay for care with dental, not medical, insurance. Payment systems are largely separate, services are not integrat...