Your child dental and oral health is important to maintain not only for healthy teeth and gums but for overall wellness.

According to past studies done: In California alone, 504,000 children missed at least one school day in 2007 to a toothache or other oral problems.

Appearing in the September 2012 issue of the American Journal of Public Health: Ostrow researchers had previously documented that 73 percent of disadvantaged kids in Los Angeles have dental caries, the disease responsible for cavities in teeth. The new study shines light on the specific connection between oral health and performance in school for this population, said Roseann Mulligan, chair of the school’s Division of Dental Public Health and Pediatric Dentistry and corresponding author of the study.