# Mobile Dental Clinic Treats 'Mountain Dew Mouth'



## 4phan (Feb 13, 2009)

Dentist Gives Free Screenings, Services to Children Living in Poverty in Appalachia 
By KETURAH GRAY

Feb. 13, 2009— 


Dr. Edwin Smith, of Barbourville, Ky., is on a mission to save the teeth of Eastern Kentucky's children. 

Four years ago, he invested $150,000 of his own money to build a mobile dental clinic, Kids First Dental Care, inside an 18-wheel truck. 

Several days a week, he criss-crosses the curvy roads of 16 eastern Kentucky counties to offer free dental screenings and services to hundreds of students. Most children dread the dentist, but those who line up outside Smith's van are often giddy with anticipation. For many, it's the first and only dental check-up they'll have for years. 

Watch the story tonight on "A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains" tonight at 10 p.m. ET 

"It's a generational thing, I think," said Smith. "Grandma had dentures, mom had dentures, it's just inevitable that I'm going to end up with dentures, is the way some of these kids feel. I really believe we have to do a better job educating." Smith says he's seen firsthand the results of neglect among these children. Teenagers have pulled their own teeth with pliers because of tooth pain, and he's treated 2-year-olds with up to 12 cavities in their baby teeth. 

It's a stereotype rooted in a terrible fact. 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." 


Brushing Teeth 'Too Painful'

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. 

One of Smith's patients, 11-year-old Anthony, hadn't been able to brush his teeth in several weeks because it hurt too much. He says he drank too much Mountain Dew. "He wasn't able to brush up there around the gum because it was too painful," Smith said. "It's causing the gums to be inflamed." But after his appointment, Anthony's smile was as good as new. Those smiles are Smith's gifts to the mountains. 



Copyright ? 2009 ABC News Internet Ventures


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## Lord Yu (Feb 13, 2009)

Good teeth are great to have. I've never had a cavity.


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## Time Expired (Feb 13, 2009)

^ Yes...but do you drink MD 24/7?


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## TatsuBon (Feb 13, 2009)

Awesome ..


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## saprobe (Feb 13, 2009)

> Dentists speak about families who put soda in baby bottles.


 
There's so much more wrong with this than cavities...


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## ZigZag (Feb 13, 2009)

_Wow, Mountain Dew does wonders._


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## FreshBaked (Feb 13, 2009)

I facepalmed at a bunch of the little cultural factoids in the article.


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## neko-sennin (Feb 13, 2009)

A sad testament to any corner of "the world's most affluent country" in the Twenty-First Century.



Lord Yu said:


> Good teeth are great to have. I've never had a cavity.



I envy you. My father's teeth are like that, but I inherited my mother's, which are prone to all kinds of problems, so I really have look out for my teeth, especially since I can't afford a dentist. 



> Dentists speak about families who put soda in baby bottles.





saprobe said:


> There's so much more wrong with this than cavities...



Tell me about it. Is this why all the grade- and middle-school kids I run into have the attention span of a toddler? Is this why all the toddlers I run into in public (or rather, run into me) have no attention span at all, running into walls and objects right in fucking front of them? 

And is this also how a rising percentage of these kids manage to remain jarringly overweight *despite* bouncing off the walls? :amazed


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## Mintaka (Feb 13, 2009)

I plan on replacing my teeth with corundum.  Harder than what I have now.


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## Cirus (Feb 13, 2009)

I've had cavities before and used to drink alot of soda, but I never had it as bad as those people.  How hard is it to floss once a day and brush your teeth twice a day?  Its not that bad.

Though I am happy that the dentist is doing something good with his work.  I hope that he continues on and does more for the people up there.


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## Yami Munesanzun (Feb 14, 2009)

i drink a helluva lotta soda, no cavities on me~!


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