Ever had a throbbing toothache that felt like you had a dagger stuck in your eye and a cleaver planted in your head? If so, you're part of a large crowd that suffers debilitating tooth pain every year and often lacks the resources to do much about it. This huge health problem costs businesses billions in lost employee time and productivity, keeps children out of school, and increases overall health care costs. The Colorado Department of Health and the Environment issued a report several years ago recommending improvements in oral health care, but, given the state's dismal finances, too little has been done to solve the problem.

A while ago, I visited a Western Slope health clinic for the very poor. Their doctor told me that virtually none of the children he treated had ever seen a dentist. Their poor dental health severely impacted their overall health, causing them to have more general infections and illnesses, not to mention acute pain. He pleaded for the state to provide more preventive health care for children. The data show his concerns remain inadequately addressed today. Yet, we all know that treating an abscessed tooth is far more expensive that filling a cavity.

Colorado reported in 2004 that a quarter of third graders had untreated tooth decay. Numbers from 2002 estimated that children lost 7.8 million hours of school annually because of toothaches. The biggest problems were in Southern Colorado where pockets of poverty are significant and kids often have limited access to all forms of health care.

While access to dental care is a huge problem, there is a big educational component as well. Many people don't see dental health as part of their overall health care. And, if adults don't take care of their teeth, they're unlikely to take their children to the dentist either, until a painful problem develops. For smokers, particularly, not visiting a dentist can mean delayed detection of mouth cancer, which has a poorer 5-year survival rate than either breast or prostate cancer. In addition, new mothers can transfer oral infections to their babies (through slurpy kisses or licking a spoon before putting it back in a baby's mouth). I know this sounds yucky, but that doesn't mean we should ignore it.

This information isn't part of your typical health care story. Yet, it's vitally important to general health education. It would pay businesses to provide good oral health information to their employees as part of their training programs. Even better would be including dental insurance in health care packages, but I know that's unlikely when many companies are dumping health insurance instead. Nonetheless, the reality is that bad dental care costs businesses dearly when their employees take sick days or work less productively because their teeth ache.

Doctors and hospitals can routinely educate patients on the importance of good dental care and the dangers of ignoring tooth pain and decay. The state's Medicaid program and private health insurers could distribute much more information to their participants about oral health. These simple measures would enhance the public's knowledge about dental health and increase their awareness of its importance to their general well-being.

As the Legislature looks at fixes to the state's budget woes and our dismal health care system, it should also look at simple prevention measures that would relieve the need for expensive health care later. Since only 25% of children covered by Medicaid receive any dental services, it could require access to dental care as part of improved funding for child health care. That would cut costs down the road.

Finally, the State Department of Public Health and the Environment could spearhead a statewide effort to educate Coloradans about the importance of good dental health through schools, health clinics, and the media, just like they do with vaccinations. In this case also, a tiny ounce of prevention now will save a lot of money and pain in the future.