Low-cost dental care is supported in Chester County

CHESTER COUNTY

Low-cost dental care in supported

COATESVILLE Chester County has given $25,000 to an organization that provides low-cost dental care for low-income and uninsured people in the county.

The county commissioners presented Chester County Community Dental Center with the check this week and declared the month of February to be Children's Dental Health Month. The Coatesville-based nonprofit provides dental services to more than 3,000 patients each year throughout the county, including about 1,100 children. It provides dental health education to 4,000 people.

"We understand now that dental health is not just about looking pretty and being comfortable," said Tamara Fox, director of development and marketing at Community Dental. "Your mouth is the gateway to the rest of your body."

Untreated dental disease has been linked to heart disease, complications from diabetes, and a higher chance of having premature babies for pregnant women. People with dental disease are less likely to be productive in school or at work.

"And the frustruating thing is, it's 100 percent preventable," Fox said.

- Michaelle Bond