Beyond the dmft: The Human and Economic Cost of Early Chilhood Caries

The death of 12-year-old Deamonte Driver in 2007 as a result of untreated dental caries gave lack of access to dental care a new and disturbing face for many Americans—that is, the potential for serious morbidity and even death resulting from dental caries.  Behind the headlines and outrage surrounding that watershed event exists a shadow world of suffering, pain, diminished quality of life, and even death known to but a few on the front lines of the early childhood caries (ECC) epidemic.