Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 2018)
SUPPLIES TIGHT FOR OREGON XMAS TREES TIMBERS EARN MLS CUP TRIP SPORTS/1B NORTHWEST/2A FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018 143rd Year, No. 32 One dollar WINNER OF THE 2018 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD Your Weekend • • • Holiday bazaars throughout the region Festival of Trees, Hermiston Handbell concert, Pendleton For times and places see Coming Events, 6A Weekend Weather Fri Sat Sun 48/33 42/32 40/26 HERMISTON Commercial, residential insurance premiums likely to fall By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian Commercial and residen- tial insurance premiums will likely go down in the Herm- iston and Stanfield area after Umatilla County Fire Dis- trict’s Insurance Services Office rating improved. Both cities, as well as most of the rural area UCFD covers, have been upgraded to a class three. Previously, Hermiston was a class four and Stanfield was a class five. The ISO gives fire dis- tricts ratings on a scale of 1 to 10 based on factors, such as a fire district’s response times, station proximity, equipment quality, train- ing hours, water infrastruc- ture and dispatch call-han- dling times. Dick Ferranti of Ferranti Graybeal Insurance Agency in Hermiston said the lower the number, the less risky insurance compa- nies consider an area. “A lower number indi- cates a quicker response, better equipment, better vehicles, etc. so that if we do have a fire they can put it out more quickly,” he said. He said the ISO class is one of several things insur- ance companies look at See PREMIUMS/8A Staff photo by E.J. Harris Dentist Graham McEntire, left, and dental assistant Shalena Gandy work on prepping patient Evelyn Arbogast to receive a crown on one of her teeth on Wednesday in Pendleton. Teeth and gums affect overall health “The mouth is like a freeway system to the rest of your body” — Dr. Teri Barichello By KATHY ANEY East Oregonians n a time of chia seeds, fast- ing, interval training and low- carb diets, consider the lowly toothbrush. Want to stay healthy? Take care of your mouth. Mounting evidence suggests the path to good health starts with good dental hygiene. More sink time may lead to a healthier heart and lower risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, liver dis- ease, dementia and respiratory infections. A study released this year found a link between teeth-brush- ing habits and risk of cardiovas- cular disease. “The mouth is like a freeway system to the rest of your body,” said Dr. Teri Barichello, vice president and chief dental officer at ODS Companies. The onramp to the freeway? Bleeding gums. Bleeding gums are a symptom of oral disease that signals danger and offers an opening for bacteria to escape to the rest of the body. Once in the bloodstream, it reacts with blood vessels to form arterial plaque. “Bleeding gums are not OK. I Staff photo by E.J. Harris Dentist Graham McEntire, upper right, and assistant Shale- na Gandy work on patient Evelyn Arbogast in Pendleton on Wednesday. Recent studies have shown there are links be- tween good oral hygiene and overall health. Blood in your spit is an indi- cation of inflammation,” Bar- ichello said. “The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) estimates that 50 percent of adult Amer- icans are walking around with gum disease and most don’t know it. It’s a silent disease.” Dr. Jim Rickards, senior med- ical director at Moda Health, said the connection between dental problems and the body’s overall health is becoming more apparent with each new study. “Teeth and gums have tremen- dous impact on overall health,” Rickards said. “The mouth is really the entryway to the body. Having those routine screenings is incredibly important.” With the understanding that oral health affects disease in the rest of the body, insurance com- panies are starting to offer health management programs focused on dental hygiene. Rickards said women in Moda’s maternity pro- gram, for example, work with a health coach and undergo dental screening. An increasing number of stud- ies are showing links between heart health and dental health. “Renowned cardiovascular physicians are saying we can’t manage for all the risks with- out involving dental,” Barichello said. Uncontrolled diabetics are more likely to develop gum dis- See TEETH/8A Test your knowledge By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN East Oregonian Staff photo by Jayati Ramakrishnan Students from Stanfield Secondary School discuss a question at Thursday’s Knowledge Bowl competition in Hermiston. Winning the Knowledge Bowl takes several of the seven cardinal virtues — patience, diligence, even humility — but knowing what the whole group of them are called was worth a point all by itself. One of the questions in the final round asked students: Since the early days of the Christian church, the seven deadly sins have been balanced by the seven cardinal what? The battle of wits at Hermiston High School put students from local high schools through four rounds of questioning, on subjects from pre-calculus and chemistry to reli- gion and world history A final round ended with a team from Echo on top, followed by two Hermiston teams. Several local schools host compe- titions throughout the year. This year, teams from Echo, Hermiston, Stan- field and Umatilla competed, along with a team from Connell, Wash- ington, about 30 miles north of the Tri-Cities. The Hermiston club is run by HHS counselor Maggie Hughes-Boyd, and See TEST/8A