Home >> Head Start Dental Home Initiative >> Deamonte Driver's Story

Every child deserves a healthy start on life, but when it comes to oral health many children face significant challenges. Children in low-income families tend to have higher rates of tooth decay, which often starts in the first year or two of life, and have greater difficulty accessing ongoing basic dental care. Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease -- five times more common than asthma -- and 51 million school hours are lost to it every year.

In February 2007, a 12-year-old Maryland boy’s toothache became a deeper medical issue; bacteria from an infected tooth seeped into his brain. Deamonte Driver was taken to the emergency room because he lacked insurance and he underwent two costly operations. He lost his life to this severe brain infection that was caused by bacteria from an infected tooth.

Deamonte Driver’s death points to a breakdown in the Medicaid system. Healthy Smiles, Healthy Children and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry continue to advocate across the nation addressing ways to improve access to dental care for all children. Major improvements need to be made so that more children will not fall through the cracks. Although Deamonte Driver is a rare case, many children are at-risk.

Oral health is central to overall health. The mouth, as a part of the body, has long been ignored. Indeed, when dental problems go untreated innocent victims suffer unfortunate consequences. This exemplifies the importance of every child having a dental home and the proper infrastructure in place to prevent and treat dental decay.

Currently, more than nine million children have no medical insurance, and the number grows even higher for those without dental insurance. Families who have Medicaid find the system overbearing, the paperwork burdensome, and access to care an ultimate challenge.

The AAPD is partnering with the Office of Head Start (OHS) to provide dental homes to young children who may otherwise go without care. OHS has awarded a five-year, ten-million dollar grant to establish dental homes for approximately 1 million low-income children across America. A dental home means that each child's oral health care is delivered in a comprehensive, continuously accessible, coordinated and family-centered way by a licensed dentist.

A national network of pediatric dentists and general dentists will be created to provide quality dental homes for Head Start and Early Head Start children; train teams of dentists and Head Start personnel in optimal oral health care practices; and assist Head Start programs in obtaining comprehensive services to meet the full range of Head Start children’s oral health needs. This collaboration will also provide parents, caregivers and Head Start staff with the latest evidence-based information on how they can help prevent tooth decay and establish a foundation for a lifetime of oral health.

While Deamonte is no longer with us, let us hope that this type of massive intervention for America’s most vulnerable children will be his legacy.