Research performed at the Ostrow School of Dentistry at the University of Southern California shows that inadequate dental care can put children at a disadvantage in school.  The research examined 1500 children in the Los Angeles Unified School District to assess the link between dental care and school performance.  Nikki Tucker from Medical Daily explained the significance of this research in her article, “Lack of Access to Dental Care Can Lead to Poor Grades Among Children.”

Children with toothaches were four times more likely than those without them to have a GPA below the median of 2.8.  Additionally, insufficient dental care negatively affected the students’ attendance in school.  Roseann Mulligan, chair of the school’s Division of Dental Public Health and Pediatric Dentistry and corresponding author of the study, explained the research highlights the need to integrate dental care and school programs.

Read the article here.