What better way to conclude this round of blogs than to write an update to my first blog, Diane Sawyer’s report “A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains”? Here is a recap of that blog: Reporters followed four children: Erica, Shawn, Courtney, and Jeremy. Courtney lives with a lot of relatives in Kentucky and has to keep her clothes in a suitcase under her bed. Her mom has a drug problem and is trying to recuperate and get her GED by walking 2 hours to her class and 2 hours back, a 16 mile round trip! Shawn has to sleep in his truck to avoid all the thievery and dangers, but wishes to be the first in his family to earn his high school diploma and maybe even college. Jeremy had to give up his dreams when his girlfriend got pregnant; he had to accept a job working 3.5 miles underground in the coal mines.
The article also mentioned Dr. Edwin Smith, a dentist in Barbourville, Ky., and how he invested $150,000 of his own money to build a mobile dental clinic inside an 18-wheel truck because Sawyer described something caused “toothlessness” in central Appalachia. According to dentists, one of the main causes is Mountain Dew soda. With 50 percent more caffeine than Coke or Pepsi, Mountain Dew seems to be used as a kind of anti-depressant for children in this part of Appalachia. Smith travels the curvy roads of eastern Kentucky to offer free dental screenings and services to hundreds of children. They line up outside his mobile clinic with excitement.
“Dr. Smith says he's seen firsthand the results of neglect among these children. Teenagers have pulled their own teeth with pliers because of tooth pain, and he's treated 2-year-olds with up to 12 cavities in their baby teeth.” PepsiCo, the maker of Mountain Dew, reportedly has reached out to the dentist to support his service to these children with poor dental health. Kids drink it in school, at football games and before going to bed at night. Drinking the sugary soda loaded with caffeine often starts early, even as early as in babies’ bottles. Smith says, "Other sodas, too, but Mountain Dew is unique because it has a lot of sugar and a lot of acid. If you're taking a drink every 20 minutes, that's like bathing the teeth in it all day."
PepsiCo told ABC News that “it's preposterous to blame soft drinks for dental decay, saying that raisins and cookies stay in the mouth longer. They added that a balanced diet and proper dental hygiene like flossing and brushing teeth after meals and snacks should prevent decay.” One of the main problems for children in this area is that nearly 50% of them are enrolled in Medicaid, which is not
accepted by many dentists at all.
Sources:
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=6845770&page=1
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=6863173&page=1
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