1. Provide the title of your story or series and the names of the journalists involved.
State Lags in Dental Health Care for Childre, Laurie A Udesky writing for the New York Times
2. List date(s) this work was published or aired.
May 22, 2010 online, May 23, 2010 print
3. Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
My investigation for the Bay Area pages of the New York Times revealed that although dental disease is preventable, it is not unusual for California children to suffer crippling and disabling cases of it. By the age of 5, according to reports used for this article, more than 28 percent of California children have untreated tooth decay. In a year, according to a recent report, dental disease caused 500,000 California children up to age 17 to miss 1 day or more of school, costing school districts $29.7 million in lost revenue. Through interviews with dentists and oral surgeons, and data from little-known reports I found that each year thousands of children as young as 4, typically from disadvantaged families, undergo hospitalization for emergency dental care, including root canals and extractions of baby teeth. Left untreated, dental disease can be life threatening, as it was for 17-year-old Dominique Allen, who was hospitalized because of a long-term infection in four rotting teeth that spread, swelling her jaw and neck so that she had difficulty opening her mouth and breathing. Or it could mean that a five-year-old, like Vicente Rosas Silva, had to start kindergarten with only 4 teeth in the front of his mouth, after he needed sixteen rotten teeth and roots extracted. Through research, I found out — not surprisingly — that the reasons for what one expert described as a dental disease "epidemic" among California children that is "absurdly pervasive" are multilayered: One factor is that many Californians cannot afford dental care, and more are finding it hard to finance: California lost 300.000 jobs with employer-provided health insurance between 2007 and 2009. Another significant finding is that even if families are eligible for state-funded dental care for their children, they're hard pressed to find a dentist willing to accept subsidized patients because of low reimbursement rates. As a result children often have to wait months for dental care at offices that offer it, and some cavities may turn into dangerous abscesses in the meantime. Finally many parents are unaware that even toddlers need baby teeth brushed, flossed and dental care –the sort of preventive care messages that the public urgently needs, according to dental experts.
4. Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
Data came from academic, government, advocacy and public policy reports, and school districts. I obtained medical records through written permission by the parents. I did not need to file FOI or public records requests.
5. Explain types of human sources used.
Dentists, oral surgeons, school officials, including nurses and/or other school health personnel, school principals, superintendents, secretaries, public health officials, public policy experts, statisticians, children's health advocacy representatives, parents, teenagers
6. Results (if any).
Greater awareness of the issue.
7. Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No
8. Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
I found my main sources for the story, the 17-year-old, and the 5-year-old who had been hospitalized with life-threatening dental decay through community based health organizations. I started by talking to Children Now, which put me in touch with Community Action Partnership of Sonoma, County, California, which sets up health screenings for children. In general, community-based health organizations are more inclined to link you with the human sources for such a story. It's a way to get around the HIPAA issues that are typically a barrier when approaching hospitals to provide patient sources.