HEALTHY PEOPLE 2020 IMPACT PAPER

Running head: HEALTHY PEOPLE 2020 IMPACT PAPER
Occupational health and safety
HEALTHY PEOPLE 2020 IMPACT PAPER
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HEALTHY PEOPLE 2020 IMPACT PAPER
Occupational health and safety
1
Introduction
Oral diseases are the most common condition and an important public health problem
because of the prevalence, the impact of common people and the cost associated to the
treatment. Oral health affects people physically as well as psychologically and affects the
way they grow, they enjoy life, speak, chew, taste and socialize. Dental caries distract the
quality of life of people. This provides the rationale for choosing oral health as the topic of
discussion. The particular area of the study that has been chosen for the study is Amarillo,
Texas. The target population chosen is school aged children.
Discussion
Some of the problems associated to oral health found in Amarillo, Texas, involved
tooth decay, sensitive teeth, gum diseases, halitosis (bad breath) and canker sores. The overall
condition of the mouth and teeth in Texas, are not in good condition. About 1 in four adults in
Texas, have dental problems. It has been reported that 28 % of the adults avoid smiling
because of their dental condition and 28% of the adults feel anxious about their dental
condition. The top oral health issue for the low income adults in experiencing pain (ADA,
2017). 31% of the high income adults have found to be experiencing pain due to the
condition of the mouth and teeth. 7.5 % of Texas children have poor dental health (ADA,
2017). The Texas rate of untreated decay among the third graders surpass the national
average, indicating towards a worst dental health.
Descriptive demographic and epidemiological data on the mortality and morbidity
health risk
Children bear subsequent burden of the craniofacial injuries and disorders. The rate of
oral cancer mortality rate in Texas, is about 2.6 per1000, 000 people is on the par to the
national rate of 2.5. Tooth loss has been found to be indirectly related to mortality by causing

HEALTHY PEOPLE 2020 IMPACT PAPER
Occupational health and safety
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poor nutrition and poor eating behaviour (Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy, 2017).
Dental carries have been found to influence a pro-inflammatory state that accelerates the
process of coronary heart diseases. Apart from this, children having periodontal problems are
often subjected greater absenteeism from the school (Kim et al., 2017). Despite of a number
of children who go for a dental visit every year, Texas, ranks 39th out of the 40 reported cases
of children having dental caries. Oral health disparities have been found in the United States.
Even after the important improvement in the oral health for the entire population, the
disparities still remains. Some of the social factors that can contribute to such lifestyle
behaviours includes the tobacco use, the use of alcohol and poor choices of diet. The greatest
racial and the ethnic disparity among the children aged 2-4 years and aged 6-8 years is seen
in Mexican American and the black, non-Hispanic children. Again the prevalence of oral
cancer has been found to be more among the African American in comparison to white
Americans (Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy, 2017). The border and the rural regions
of Texas are overburdened with diseases, high proportion of household with low income and
food insecurity in the population. As per the reports, children consuming sugary beverages
are contributing to compromised oral health. It has been reported that from the year 2014-
2017, the number of Texans receiving fluoridated water have decreased from 65 % 75%
(Dye, Thornton-Evans, Li & Iafolla, 2015).
Goal, overview and objectives of Healthy People 2020 for oral health
Goal
To prevent and control oral and craniofacial disorders, injuries and conditions and t improve
access to preventive services and dental care