LT. GOV. QUINN SALUTES NATIONAL "TOUR DE SMILE" BIKE RALLY, URGES MANDATORY DENTAL SCREENING FOR ILLINOIS SCHOOLCHILDREN

National Dental Health Care Survey Gives Illinois "Failing" Grade in Key Categories

Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn today applauded Tour de Smile cyclists passing through Illinois as part of the 4,200-mile bike relay to promote dental health care for children.  On a three-city tour through Murphysboro, Springfield and Chicago, Lt. Gov. Quinn saluted program organizers and riders and outlined his plan to bring necessary dental health care to every child throughout the state.

"I'm proud to pass along the Tour de Smile message that dental disease in children is entirely preventable and treatable," said Quinn, commending Tour organizers PRASAD and cyclists for their grass-roots efforts.  "We need a statewide movement to prevent dental disease and expand access to adequate dental care."

Lt. Gov. Quinn outlined his dental health initiatives including pushing for mandatory school dental screenings to prevent children from suffering without proper dental care; hosting an interactive website dedicated to dental health to serve as a resource to families across Illinois; and providing ongoing support of his office to bring Tour de Smile and dental health awareness throughout Illinois year after year.

Lt. Gov. Quinn said there is room for much-needed improvements, citing the 2003 National Grading Project by Oral Health America, the nation's premier independent organization devoted to dental health.  In various categories such as prevention, access, infrastructure, health status and policies, the State of Illinois earned an overall grade of C+, but earned failing or below average grades in key categories.

"Tooth decay is the number one chronic illness in children," Quinn said, noting that toothaches are a leading cause of school absences.  Each year of postponing an initial dental visit adds an average of $35 to the cost of needed dental treatment, explained Quinn.

The Tour de Smile cyclists have been passing a toothbrush baton from state to state to raise awareness and funds for dental programs for economically disadvantaged children.  The riders pushed off the tour in California on July 11, and after passing through 13 states including Illinois, they will cross the finish line in New York on September 14.

"The bicyclists of Tour de Smile are pedaling for the common good, in the spirit of the 1950s Mothers March Against Polio and recent grassroots campaigns to prevent youth smoking," said Quinn.

The Tour de Smile toothbrush baton is being passed across the nation similar to the passing of the Olympic torch.  Two years this month, Lt. Gov. Quinn marched across Illinois from the Mississippi River to the shores of Lake Michigan to promote the Bernardin Amendment calling for decent health care for everyone.

"We are excited about partnering with Lieutenant Governor Quinn and look forward to combating dental disease together," said Dyan Campbell, National Director of PRSAD's Tour de Smile, mentioning that 38 percent of six- to eight-year-olds have untreated tooth decay.

            In Springfield, Lt. Gov. Quinn delivered the message that good dental health and hygiene begins in early childhood and presented an over-sized toothbrush to members of the Illinois Division of Dental Health IFLOSS Coalition.  Modeled after the national Tour de Smile campaign, IFLOSS hosted their local version where cyclists rode their bicycles through Springfield's Lincoln Park to spread awareness throughout the community.

Lt. Gov. Quinn hopped on a bicycle in Proska Park in the Berwyn neighborhood in Chicago to show his support of Pav YMCA's dental health program - Counting the Miles to Healthy Smiles - mirrored after the national Tour de Smile campaign.  The Pav YMCA also received an over-sized toothbrush from Lt. Gov. Quinn to celebrate their grass-roots public awareness campaign to reach across the community to educate children and their families of dental care. 

"Dental disease is a growing epidemic and there is a desperate need for child dental health throughout Illinois," Quinn said.

The PRASAD CDHP (Philanthropic Relief, Altruistic Service and Development Children's Dental Health Program) offers high-quality dental health education, oral exams and restorative treatment to children in grades K - 8. 

Founded in 1998, the IFLOSS Coalition is a public-private partnership with a mission to improve the oral health of all Illinois residents through advocacy and education.

In March, Lt. Gov. Quinn gave a boost to the Champaign County Child Dental Access Program, a model partnership in which more than two dozen dentists and specialists volunteer their services to provide much-needed dental care to rural area children.

"Efforts such as Tour de Smile and the Champaign County Dental Access Program will allow countless children who have never seen a dentist to open up and say ‘ahh'," Quinn said.