Portland, Oregon, the largest U.S. city that does not fluoridate their water, has begun a campaign for fluoridation. Over 50 high-profile organizations have come together to support this cause, and they will most likely begin their public pitch in the next few weeks. Supporters of the Everyone Deserves Healthy Teeth Coalition include the Oregon Dental Association, the Oregon Pediatric Society, the Northwest Health Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, and Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon. Grant Aims to Increase Dental Care Access for LA’s Youngest The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Dentistry received a $9 million grant dedicated to increasing access to dental care for children from birth to five years old. The grant was awarded by First 5 LA to address the increasing problem of dental disease, especially among the city’s Latino and African American children. The new program will work to provide children and their parents with education, and establish “dental homes” where the children will be comfortable seeing the dentist on a regular basis dental air compressor. Community Grants Awarded to Bring Oral Health Access and Education to Illinois Children The Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation is launching a new grant program that will provide nonprofit organizations up to $10,000 to increase access and education about dental health. In Illinois, over half of third graders have cavities, a clear sign that something needs to be done to improve oral health. The grant project is hoping to bring dental education to 30,000 students each year, and is also partnering with the “Dentist by 1” program designed to urge parents to bring their child to the dentist before their first birthday dental equipment. Tooth decay is still a problem A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report found that cavities are on the rise, especially among children. The problem had been decreasing since the 1940s when community water fluoridation was widely implemented, but is now so bad that tooth decay is the largest chronic disease among children, five times more prevalent than asthma dental handpiece. Dentists have found that much of the problem lies in the amount of sugar that children consume, especially in drinks and gummy candies that coat the teeth. There are solutions though, such as fluoride and sealants, that when accessed can decrease tooth decay among all ages.