You may brush, but your neighbor might not
A new report in Men’s Health is not giving Baltimore much to smile about.
The report ranks the cities with the worst teeth. Baltimore came up as No. 4. Only St. Louis, Philadephia and Newark, N.J. were worse.
Considered for the rankings were the cities' community water fluoridation, the percentage of people who saw a dentist in the past year or have had their teeth extracted, the percentage of households using dental floss, money spent on oral hygiene products and the number of dentist offices per capita.
The best teeth were found in San Jose, Calif.; Fargo, N.D.; and Boise, Idaho.
The ranking may be surprising because the state really began paying more attention to the lack of care for poor urban kids in 2007, when 12-year-old Deamonte Driver from Prince George's County died after an infection in an untreated tooth spread to his brain.
Academic, industry and government leaders banded together to win aid for local health centers, streamline the Medicaid program and send hygienists into the community to provide screenings. They won agreements from dentists to treat poor children.
But perhaps the adults aren't getting the messages, or the care they need? Maybe it'll take another generation of education and care? Maybe the economy has ended money for programs?
Maybe flossing just isn't Baltimore's thing?
See the full rankings, featured in the November issue of Men's Health on newstands Oct. 19, on the next page.
2.) Philadelphia, PA F
3.) Newark, NJ F
4.) Baltimore, MD F
5.) New Orleans, LA F
6.) Jackson, MS F
7.) Jersey City, NJ F
8.) Milwaukee, WI D-
9.) Kansas City, MO D-
10.) Dallas, TX D-
11.) El Paso, TX D
12.) Detroit, MI D
13.) Lubbock, TX D
14.) Miami, FL D
15.) Buffalo, NY D
16.) Chicago, IL D
17.) Memphis, TN D
18.) Montgomery, AL D
19.) Pittsburgh, PA D
20.) Birmingham, AL D
21.) Tucson, AZ D
22.) Tampa, FL D+
23.) Los Angeles, CA D+
24.) Jacksonville, FL D+
25.) Cleveland, OH D+
26.) Louisville, KY D+
27.) Fort Wayne, IN D+
28.) Tulsa, OK D+
29.) Oklahoma City, OK D+
30.) Corpus Christi, TX D+
31.) Fort Worth, TX D+
32.) Providence, RI D+
33.) Rochester, NY D+
34.) Oakland, CA C-
35.) Houston, TX C-
36.) Toledo, OH C-
37.) Charleston, WV C-
38.) Orlando, FL C-
39.) New York, NY C-
40.) Lexington, KY C-
41.) San Antonio, TX C-
42.) Denver, CO C-
43.) St. Petersburg, FL C-
44.) Cincinnati, OH C
45.) Hartford, CT C
46.) Fresno, CA C
47.) Boston, MA C
48.) Richmond, VA C
49.) Las Vegas, NV C
50.) Columbia, SC C
51.) Durham, NC C
52.) Billings, MT C+
53.) Bakersfield, CA C+
54.) Sacramento, CA C+
55.) Phoenix, AZ C+
56.) Washington, DC C+
57.) Indianapolis, IN C+
58.) Arlington, TX C+
59.) Columbus, OH C+
60.) Atlanta, GA C+
61.) Reno, NV C+
62.) Nashville, TN C+
63.) Madison, WI C+
64.) Little Rock, AR C+
65.) Albuquerque, NM C+
66.) Modesto, CA C+
67.) Wichita, KS C+
68.) Wilmington, DE B-
69.) Spokane, WA B-
70.) San Diego, CA B-
71.) Riverside, CA B-
72.) St. Paul, MN B-
73.) Grand Rapids, MI B-
74.) Minneapolis, MN B
75.) Austin, TX B
76.) Cheyenne, WY B
77.) Aurora, CO B
78.) Charlotte, NC B
79.) Salt Lake City, UT B
80.) Honolulu, HI B
81.) Manchester, NH B
82.) Portland, OR B
83.) Yonkers, NY B
84.) San Francisco, CA B
85.) Burlington, VT B
86.) Greensboro, NC B+
87.) Des Moines, IA B+
88.) Omaha, IA B+
89.) Portland, ME B+
90.) Seattle, WA B+
91.) Colorado Springs, CO A-
92.) Anchorage, AK A-
93.) Raleigh, NC A-
94.) Anaheim, CA A-
95.) Virginia Beach, VA A-
96.) Sioux Falls, SD A
97.) Lincoln, NE A
98.) Boise, ID A
99.) Fargo, ND A+
100.) San Jose, CA A+
Comments
It's not surprising to me given the lack of basic health care that many city residents practice, whether that be visiting the doctor/dentist regularly, poor diet, poor hygiene, etc. Add to that the significant level of heroin / methadone use in Baltimore and the effect that prolonged opiate use has on teeth, and this city is right about where it should be.
Posted by: Jeff | October 18, 2010 10:25 AM
Well that isn't good.
Posted by: JEnnifer | October 18, 2010 11:46 AM
if you watch the local news, this is very evident. The news channels like to interview people with missing or big teeth.
I was on the downtown shuttle the otherday, and this lady had 2 buck teeth covering her lower lip. One of the teeth was loose and everytime she spoke it wiggled. I felt bad for her, but good teeth is 99% a matter of simply brushing and that doesn't cost but a few penny a day.
Posted by: allen | October 18, 2010 12:15 PM
I am a poster child for bad teeth. I have no insurance, most of my money goes to pay bills. I had all nine of my upper teeth extracted due to most of them being broken and infected. It would have cost me thousands of out of pocket dollars to get them fixed.
Posted by: Jim | October 18, 2010 9:33 PM
After teaching in public schools for 20 years, this does not surprise me. However, I think an additional causal element is the high cost of dentistry. I have lived in many different parts of the country and MD has one of the highest costs of dental care AND it is exceedingly difficult to get in to see a dentist on a regular basis. There are many dentists around but their hours are restricted and the cost is astronomical even with insurance. You would think that given the amount of medical care around that the price of dentists would be more affordable. I have dental insurance and it is still expensive to have even the simplest procedures done. Routine brushing and the like are wonderful but when care is needed, you better have deep pockets.
Posted by: vetern teacher | October 18, 2010 9:34 PM
Clearly this study is flawed, I've been to Pittsburgh.
Posted by: Justin | October 19, 2010 5:02 PM
Wow, Baltimore lost out to Kentucky. That's sad.
Posted by: Scott | October 20, 2010 2:20 AM