Resources for the public
Helping Utahns access safe and affordable dental care
Photo credit: Brenda Bartholomew
Oral health resources for the public
Avoiding the pain of a toothache isn’t the only reason to take care of your teeth and mouth. Proper oral and dental care can help prevent serious diseases like heart disease, pneumonia and even pregnancy complications.
Oral health is especially important for children. Untreated cavities can cause pain, trouble speaking and slow learning. Children with proper oral health are more likely to not miss school and earn better grades. That’s why DHHS focuses on oral health.
These resources help people get dental care and treat oral disease.
Opioid resources
Opioids are highly addictive narcotics commonly prescribed to treat pain. Opioids affect both the brain and body. Drug tolerance builds because the brain becomes less responsive to opioids the longer it’s exposed. Our bodies begin to build a tolerance for opioids, meaning we have to take more to get the same effect.
To learn more about opioids, recognizing an overdose, and how to reverse an overdose using naloxone, visit the Department of Health and Human Services Violence and Injury Prevention Program websites.
The American Dental Association states, “Addiction to heroin, synthetic fentanyl, and other illicit drugs can easily start with first-time exposure to an opioid that is legally prescribed to treat a painful condition. And some clinical specialties—such as pain medicine, physical medicine/rehabilitation, emergency medicine, surgery and dentistry—will always see a higher proportion of these patients than others. It is inherent to the type of medicine they practice.”
- Opioids are highly addictive narcotics commonly prescribed to treat pain.
- Prescribing opioids by dentists has decreased in recent years, but it is still common to prescribe opioids for some oral health problems.
- Opioids affect both the brain and body. Drug tolerance builds because the brain becomes less responsive to opioids the longer it’s exposed. Our bodies begin to build a tolerance for opioids, meaning we have to take more to get the same effect.
Community water fluoridation
“Community water fluoridation is recommended by nearly all public health, medical, and dental organizations. It is recommended by the American Dental Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, US Public Health Service, and World Health Organization.” (CDC)
Water with fluoride protects teeth from tooth decay. To find the level of fluoride in your drinking water visit the CDC’s My Water's Fluoride Map. You can search by state, county and public water system.
A Healthy Mouth for Every Body
National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center
Head Start-Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research