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
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25% off Blankets
1 wanted to share this story
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V a len tin e’s day.
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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For instance, parents can retreat to a "Quiet Room" for a much needed rest. Little things
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Children's Hospital
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