Page B5 FEB. 18, 1998 <Tfjr PortLmÔ Gearing up for Children’s Dental Health Month Eighty percent of tooth decay occurs in 20 percent of all children nationwide, according to the state Department of Health dental pro gram. Dental sealants, a kind of liquid plastic painted over the rough chew ing surfaces of teeth, are an effective way to prevent tooth decay. “Fluoride in water, toothpaste and mouth rinse work well to prevent tooth decay on the sides of teeth, but the tops of teeth remain vulnerable, and that leaves children at risk for cavities,’’said Beth Hines, dental pro gram manager During February, Children’s Den tal Health Month, the Department encourages families to consider the merits of sealants. In an on-going effort to promote dental health, the Department provides funding for oral health activities, such as school- based sealant programs in most coun ties. “Four out of five cavities occur on the molars,” Hines said. “ M o st cavities start in the back teeth be cause its easier for bacteria to hide in the pits and fissures of a tooth; even with regular brushing, its hard to get the molars clean.” S ealan ts are p a in le ss, c o s t-e f fective and g en erally co v e re d by dental in surance c o m p a n ie s, she said. O ne fillin g c o sts, on a v e r age, $70 com pared to one s e a l ant at $40. In the absen ce o f private dental insurance, child ren may still b en efit from se a la n t treatm en t th ro u g h c o v e ra g e u n der M edicaid. (F or m ore in fo r m ation on e lig ib ility , w rite to M edical E lig ib ility D e te rm in a tion S erv ices (M E D S) at PO Box 4 5 5 3 1 , O ly m p ia , W A 98594- 5 5 3 1 .) O th ers may receiv e this serv ice through sealant program s in th e p u b lic s c h o o l sy ste m . M any c h ild re n o f low incom e, m in o rity and im m ig ran t fa m i lie s, w ho rem ain the m ost risk for d e n ta l d ise a se , rely on the p u b lic h ealth sy stem for dental care. “We try to catch children as soon as their back teeth come in and seal them,” Hines said. At age 6, the first set of four mo lars arrive and the second set erupt at age 1 2 o rl3 . Sealant protection does not last forever. But, if done cor rectly, the plastic, protective coating keeps further decay from occurring in the deep hills and valleys of these teeth. Correct application means a pro vider must wash the tooth with wa ter, dry it well, then etch the tooth with solution before applying seal ant. “Sealants are safe, effective and a ffo rd a b le ,” H ines said. "A ny sm art and cost-conscious parent who has not heard o f sealants be fore will w ant to choose this treat ment for protecting th eirch ild ren ’s teeth .” In celebration of N ational C h ild re n ’s Dental H ealth M onth, the state D epartm ent o f H ealth w ould like to highlight 13 health departm ents around the state that provide oral health program s for children, including sealant clinics. For more information on these activities, and the phone numbers of dental societies in your area, call the W ashington State Dental Associa tion in Seattle, 206/448-1914. Body, Mind, and Spirit B y J oy R amos V a le n tin e ’s day is o v er and I ’m still rem inded o f the beauty and selfish trap p in g s o f R o m a n tic love. W hy is R om antic love so a l luring? One man reg ard ed it as the religious ecstasy o f the com m on person A riel T o m io k a, a u th o r o f On the Breath o f the G ods ex p la in s, “ It is really a d e sire to em brace life, but focu sed on a single person. U n d ern eath all p e o p le ’s urges to find this love is the need to give o f th em selv es and open th eir h earts to a m ore co m p lete sp iritu a l e x p e rie n c e. As a first step. R o m an tic love show s the individual that he c a n not isolate him self, he needs people. V u ln e ra b ility and p a s sion are trad em ark s o f R o m an tic love. But they are the m arks o f the G o d -se e k e r as w e ll!” S ev eral years ag o , I cam e across an A von c a ta lo g fe a tu r ing a n e c k la c e re p ro d u c tio n from the 1600’s. It w as d e li cately e x q u isite . T he je w e lry was priced at over $300. I learned a fte rw a rd s that the n eck la c e was g iv e n by Shah Jahan (the 5th m ogul E m peror o f India) as a gift to his w ife, M um taz. The royal couple first m et at a bazaar M um taz w as a Persian n o b le w o m a n s e llin g tr in k e ts during a M uslim New Y e a r’s celeb ratio n . The la d ie s o f the co u rt tra d i tionally sold knick knacks to noblem en at e x o rb ita n t p rices. They w ere en g a g in g in light hearted flirta tio n . E m peror Jahan was so e n a m ored w ith the 19 y ear-o ld that he chose M um taz to be his bride. Her nam e w as ch an g ed to m ean ‘C hosen O ne o f the P a la c e .’ On Ju n e 17, 1641, a fte r g iv ing b irth to th e ir fo u rte e n th child, she passed aw ay. R ight before her d eath, she req u ested that he build a m ausoleum that w o u ld be u n r iv a le d fo r its beauty a n y w h ere in the w orld. He fu lfille d her req uest. E m peror Jahan spent tw enty- tw o y ears w ith a rc h ite c ts and artisan s to b u ild a sp e c ta c u la r m arbled m ausoleum in A gra, India. The stru c tu re he b u ilt as a grand te sta m e n t o f love for his beloved w ife has been regarded as a W onder o f the W orld. It is the Taj M ahal. U n fo rtu n a te ly , the E m peror Jahan w as im p riso n e d in the w hite dom e o f the m ausoleum by his sch em in g son as a coup attem pt. E m p ero r Jahan spent his last days there gazin g across the riv er at the re stin g place o f his w ife. Happy Birthday Tina Jackson From Your Family We Love You! 4217 NE Fremont Portland, Oregon 97213 (503) 249-5972 $12 off of $30 or more $8 off of $20 or more $4 off of $12 or more 25% off Blankets 1 wanted to share this story as a h a llm a rk ex a m p le of love's way and hoped that ev ery o n e had a w on d erfu l V a len tin e’s day. 7:30 - 6:30 M-F 9:00 - 4:00 Sat. Spanish Language Phone Bill Available From U S West U S W est is now' sen d in g new b ilin g u al phone b ills to nearly 3,000 O regon h o useholds w here S p a n ish is the p re d o m in a n t lan g u ag e.T h e new bill w ill go to c u sto m e rs w ho have c o n tacted U S W est’s b iling u al c u s to m er serv ice c e n te r or who have in d ic a te d that S p anish is the prim ary language in the home. “ W e are very p le a se d to offer c u sto m e rs th is kind o f c u sto m ized se rv ic e , e sp e c ia lly to the rap id ly g ro w in g H isp an ic m ar k e t,” said M ardy C lo y es, U S. W est L o c a l M a rk e ts G e n e ra l M anager for O regon. “ P ro d u cin g a b ilin g u a l bill based on the success for our El C en tro c u sto m e r se rv ic e cen ter is an im p o rta n t step in p ro v id ing c u sto m e rs w ith e x c e lle n t se rv ic e , ta ilo re d to in d iv id u al n e e d s.” Alcoholics, addicts treatment & information about addiction A lthough it is w ell know n that O re g o n ’s cap acity to tre a t people for alco h o l and o th e r drug abuse falls sh o rt o f the need, O reg o n ian s n e v e rth e le ss have a num ber o f so u rces o f help. Barbara Cimaglio, director of the state Office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs (OADAP), says these are amongst them: * County-operated alcohol and drug programs can be contacted by checking the phone book’s blue (gov ernment) pages under County. * Persons eligible for the Oregon Health Plan may be able to obtain outpatient treatment for problems with alcohol and other drugs, to obtain eligibility information, call (800) 359-9517 (or TTY: 8(X) 621- 5260). * The Oregon Partnership oper ates a 24-hour informational help ‘You made it easier lor a Mom to stay with her sick child 24 hours a day because of a kitchen on the floor a n d a nearby laundry room. Thank you for a job well done." M other ot child in Legacy Emanuel C hildren’s Hospital lineal (800) 945-HELP. Or, in the Portland area, call 244-1312. * Private health insuiance fre quently pays for treatment. * For other ideas, you may also call OADAP’s Salem office at (503) 945-5763. An earlier study showed for each $ I of public money invested in treat ment, society save $5.60 in reduced medical, public assistance, crime and other costs. Drug-Related Emergency room Cases Decline Nationally H ealth and H um an S e rv ic e s (HHS) Secretary Donna F. Shalala released data late last year show ing an overall six percent decline nationally in drug-related em er gency room cases from 1995 to 1996 (from 517,800 to 487,600). the num ber of cases had steadily increased from 1990 through 1994 and remained level in 1995. "These results are another hopeful sign o f progress in our effo rts ag ain st drugs. But they also signal that our work to prevent substance abuse and treat addiction is far from fin ished, “ said Shalala. The data from the D rug A buse W arning N etw ork (D A W N ), an ongoing national survey of hospital em er gency departm ents, estim ates from 21 m etropolitan areas, between 1994 and 1996 decreases were seen in fiv e c itie s: B oston (2 0 % — 15,200 to 12,IO O ),D enver(28% — 5,000 to 3,600), n ew Y ork ( 10%— 43,100 to 35,400), San Francisco ( 12% — 1 1,800 to 1 0,400) and W ashington DC. (20% — 14,200 to 11,300). On the other hand, in creases were seen in ;wo cities during the sam e tim e period. Four teen cities were statistically un changed. N ationally, the most fre quently recorded reason for drug- related em ergency departm ent visit was “overdose” (239,100). Sometimes the most powerful medicine is a mother. t a ’ You’re the expert. No one knows your child better than you. That's why we've designed our Children's Hospital to accommodate the needs ot mothers and fathers. Stop Letting Time And Money Pass You By AMCALL CORPORATION Cordially Invites You and Your Guests To Another Home Business and Telecom Conferenece Friday, February 13, 1998 Registration begins at 7:00 p.m. Ramada Plaza Hotel 1441 NE 2nd Avenue Portland, OR 97232 Don't miss yet another opportunity to take advantage o f the best Telecommunications Business Opportunity on the Information Super Highway Call 1-800-583-4238 ext. 3 To confirm and reserve your seat! Note: Show this ad or flier fo r free parking Hotel Parking lot is used fo r Rose Garden event. For instance, parents can retreat to a "Quiet Room" for a much needed rest. Little things like that matter. Studies have actually proven that with family involvement, children recover more quickly from illness. But we didn’t need a study to tell us that. We see it every day. t- s ' For physician referral: 335-3500. Legacy Emanuel Children's Hospital CCtH. Sfatai CFCa/f., LEGACY Hm/th Itqacy H m M i S y « m indudn [manual Hospital Good Samaritan Hospital, Meridian Park Hospital, Mount Hood Meditai Center, Visrtmq Nurse Assonatine and ( areMark Managed Health<are Northwest PPO C1WR