Mar 01, 2007 for those who have not read the story, a young 12year old boy lost his life because an infection from a rotten tooth spread to his brain. Deamonte drivers death in 2007 from complications following a tooth infection spurred calls for reform, but millions still lack access to dental care. Ottos book begins and ends with the story of deamonte driver, a 12yearold maryland boy who died of an infection caused by one decaying tooth, and the system that failed him. But some topics seem to properly met only with anger. I think the original story that got me started was the story of deamonte driver, a 12year old maryland boy who ended up dying of complications of tooth decay, and then watching the discussions that unfolded after his death. Unfortunately, many people forget this important aspect of wellbeing. Deamonte drivers death points to a complete system breakdown. The story of deamonte driver and where we stand today in ensuring access to dental health care for children in the district by mehgan gallagher leave a comment oral health is an important part of overall health. Cardin dmd expressed his condolences and personal outrage about the death of deamonte driver, a 12yearold boy from prince georges county who died last week from a brain infection brought on by a tooth abscess. May 25, 2011 deamonte drivers death from toothache grants more kids dental care access 03042011 06. The unique circumstances surrounding his death spun the county and eventually congress on a quest to improve childrens dental healthcare. The usually energetic boy came home from school not feeling well.
May 19, 2017 access to dental care still limited for many, a decade after deamonte drivers death. The tragic and needless death of deamonte driver, a victim of dental disease by esther galen 11 january 2018 mary otto, the author of teeth. Tragic results when dental care is out of reach dollars. Devastated by the news of deamontes death, a group of prince georges county dentists mobilized and sprang into action.
Alyce driver did deamonte get dental benefits demaonte any of her jobs. His story underscores the growing need in this wealthy nation to provide adequate dental care to our nations children. Deamontes story is tragic and has illuminated the issue of oral health care for disadvantaged children. Roughly 900 dentists out of 5,500 in maryland accept medicaid but deamontes mother could not find one who accepted it before her childrens teeth became abscessed. Testimony of laurie norris, public justice center, to house. The story of beauty, inequality and the struggle for oral health in america. Deamonte drivers tragic death on february 25, 2007, due to complications from tooth decay. The story harked back to the countys tobacco plantation past but it. Death from a toothache, the sad story of deamonte driver there are tragic results when dental care is out of reach and the sobering case of deamonte driver shines a spotlight on the difficulties that poor families face in gaining access to dental care and regular preventative treatment. Death from a toothache, the sad story of deamonte driver. Mar 08, 2007 twelveyearold deamonte driver died in maryland on feb. Colgate oral health network free dental continuing education. He kept complaining of a headache, said alyce driver, his mother. Caplin is motivated in part by the struggles of 12yearold deamonte driver.
By the time deamontes aching tooth got any attention, the bacteria from the abscess had spread to his brain, according to his doctors. Furthermore, his family may be left with thousands of dollars in medical bills. Cardin and barbara a mikulski today joined congressmen elijah e. His mother alyce, who worked at lowpaying jobs, had searched for a dentist to treat deamontes toothache who would accept medicaid, but. Saving dentistry from the jaws of defeat cato institute.
Response to the death of young deamonte driver washington. His story underscores the growing need in this wealthy nation to provide adequate dental care to. In 2007, 12yearold deamonte driver pictured above died after bacteria from an abscessed tooth traveled to his brain. The story of deamonte driver and where we stand today in ensuring access to dental health care for children in. The story of deamonte driver deamonte driver, a twelveyearold boy from prince georges county, md. Deamonte s death is a blight on the history of a nation in which everyone is supposedly created equal. The tragic and needless death of deamonte driver, a victim of dental. Carvertaylor worked steadily, through the fourth graders, then the fifth graders, talking and joking with them. Luther cited the 2007 case of deamonte driver, a 12. It takes two to create babies, and unless deamontes father was dead or genuinely incapacitated, he shares equal responsibility for what happened. Doctors say the clinton boy died in 2007 when lethal bacteria from an untreated infection in a tooth invaded his brain. It is still just days since deamonte driver passed away. While the acute complications of the infection were rapid, the.
Cummings announced legislation yesterday to increase childrens access to dental care. In january 2017 the nineyearold boy was in the third grade at beechfield elementary school. Several of his teeth deamonte become decayed and were infected. The tragic and needless death of deamonte driver, a victim of. Twelveyearold deamonte driver died in maryland on feb.
Deamonte drivers life could have been spared if his infected. The same was the case for his younger brother deshawn, who needed six. Testimony of laurie norris, public justice center, to. Jan 31, 2017 tooth infection suddenly kills sacramento truck driver, 26 by sammy caiola. February marked nine years since the death of 12yearold marylander deamonte driver. Last spring, following the death of twelveyear old deamonte driver of maryland whose untreated tooth infection spread to his brain, i wrote about. The decaying realities behind deamonte drivers death.
Cummings and john sarbanes all dmd at a press conference honoring the fourth anniversary of the death of deamonte driver, the 12year old maryland boy who died after an untreated tooth infection spread to his brain. In february, there was an outcry over the case of deamonte driver, a 12yearold boy who died. The story of deamonte driver and his dental abscess. I am sure that the news of the death of a 12yearold boy from prince georges county, md. A news reporter looks at the dental profession in a new book teeth mary otto1 otto m. Hear the heartbreaking story of the tragic death of a young 12yearold homeless boy named deamonte driver who died because his poor family couldnt find.
I concur in his assessment overall, but remind him that no stories mention deamonte driver being a virgin birth though, admittedly, ive never seen a story that mentions a father. The tragic and needless death of deamonte driver, a victim. After childs death, prince georges county schools move. Deamonte driver, who lived not far from where i live, would have been looking forward to his 23rd birthday this year, a young life at the very peak of its potential instead, his mother is looking. She could not find one, and her 12yearold boy died. Apr 18, 20 hear the heartbreaking story of the tragic death of a young 12yearold homeless boy named deamonte driver who died because his poor family couldnt find a dentist to remove a rotten tooth.
May 2, 2007 chairman kucinich, congressman issa and. According to an article in the washington post on february 28, deamonte driver died of a toothache. Shanda flemming lives in baltimore city, maryland, with her son michael. Deamonte drivers death from toothache grants more kids dental care access 03042011 06. Four years ago this february, an entire community was devastated in prince georges county, maryland, just outside washington, d.
Deamontes death is a blight on the history of a nation in. Also, since his death other deaths of children attributable to dental diseases have been reported. Sep 28, 2007 in february, there was an outcry over the case of deamonte driver, a 12yearold boy who died because his family could not afford private dental treatment. Deamonte drivers death from toothache grants more kids. Aapd releases statement on the death of deamonte driver. Marylands proud record on youth dental care baltimore sun. His death made national headlines because he was a child who died of a toothache. The death of a 12 year old boy in the us has highlighted a glaring gap in the health care system that is affectively shutting off dental coverage to millions of americans. And, so far as we know, his studies there were going well. Dondre simpson rolls out access to dental care for people in need. The infection that could have been so easily treated invaded his brain and festered until it was too late to save him. The story of deamonte driver and where we stand today in ensuring access to dental health care for children in the district. Jan 21, 2011 in fact, to the extent that medicaid played a part in his death drivers mom had difficult finding a dentist because few dentists accept medicaid due to its lousy reimbursement rates, obamacare puts more deamonte drivers at risk by expanding medicaid to 3% of fpl.
Luther cited the 2007 case of deamonte driver, a 12yearold maryland boy whose family couldnt afford dental coverage. Deamonte driver died from a tooth infection that spread into the brain, because his mother didnt have. Deamonte driver is a name that may be familiar to people in the dc area. Jan 11, 2018 the tragic and needless death of deamonte driver, a victim of dental disease by esther galen 11 january 2018 mary otto, the author of teeth.
I began the post with the story of deamonte driver pictured above and his horrible death due to lack of medical and dental care. For more on driver and the program he inspired, go here and here for recent news articles. When alyce drivers story was told in february 2007, she was a hardworking mom who had held various jobs in a bakery, as a homehealth aide, and as a construction worker but none of them offered health insurance. When 12yearold deamonte driver died in 2007 from an untreated tooth infection, marylands medicaid dental care was among the worst in the nation. Deamonte driver, who died in 2007, aged 12, after an infection from an. Deamonte drivers life could have been spared if his infected tooth was. She previously had medicaid coverage for her sons dashawn and deamonte, but the family had recently lost its coverage. Why do the lefts stories about the death of charlene dill. In 2007, 12yearold deamonte driver also died when a tooth infection spread to his brain. A seemingly simple toothache turned into an abscess that spread to deamontes brain and eventually killed him. As a response to this needless death, a team of black dentists have established the deamonte driver dental project which provides mobile dental services to prevent similar losses from happening in the future. Shortly after the flight attendant proceeded down the aisle, the irony between my experience and the story of deamonte drivers tragic death hit me.
Sep 02, 2011 higher risk of death for the uninsured. Deamonte drivers continuing legacy childrens defense fund. Dentists remember and respond to a childs preventable death. Deamonte lived, like so many do, in the shadows of our society. The washington posts report on the horrifyingly sad and completely avoidable death of deamonte driver, a 12 year old boy in maryland, is one of the strongest illustrations of the humanitarian disaster medicaid has become. And if bill kristol had the slightest shred of intellectual integrity, he would be dancing on his grave. With his unfortunate loss of life, comes a reminder and a warning to ensure that something like this never happens again.
The thing about deamonte was his smile, he was always smiling, says gina james, principal of the foundation school in maryland, where deamonte was a popular and promising student. February 25, 2007, deamonte driver died as the result of an abscessed tooth. The washington post post reported the senseless death of deamonte driver, a 12yearold africanamerican male who died because of an infection that started with an abscessed tooth that was not treated because his medicaid coverage had recently lapsed. In the midst of all this, infection from deamontes tooth traveled to his brain. Deamonte driver is dead and you can thank bill kristol. After deamonte drivers death, elected officials battled to add dental benefits to the state childrens health insurance program. While the acute complications of the infection were rapid, the factors leading to the infection were longterm and preventable. For the same price that deamonte driver and his family could purchase a 16ouncebottle of clean, fresh water, deamonte could purchase a sugar laden, tooth decaying twoliter bottle.
The same was the case for his younger brother deshawn, who needed six teeth extracted. When 12yearold deamonte driver died in 2007 from an untreated tooth infection, marylands medicaid dental care was among the worst in. Untreated toothache suddenly kills sacramento truck driver. Americas boys death highlights us health debate bbc news. Chicago, illinois the american academy of pediatric dentistry aapd extends our deepest condolences to the family of 12yearold maryland boy deamonte driver, who lost his life from a severe brain infection that was caused by bacteria from an infected tooth. Deamonte driver dental project in february, 2007, deamonte driver, a young boy from prince georges county, maryland died from a brain infection caused by bacteria from tooth decay. But deamonte driver has become much more than just a tragic death. Dental health bill honors deamonte driver baltimore sun.
This situation cannot be overlooked because there are many others like deamonte who lack access to care. He was taken to the hospital but after six weeks and two brain surgeries, deamonte driver died. T he news of deamonte drivers death appeared on the metro page of the washington post on 28 february 2007, under the headline for want. Dental care is health care health care for the homeless. Deamonte drivers death from toothache grants more kids dental. The inexcusable and unnecessary loss of deamontes life is a dickensian story that started when he complained of a headache. Hopefully it is a name that will never be forgotten. Vargas tells the tragic story of deamonte driver, a 12yearold boy who died in maryland as a result of lack of dental treatment following an infection.
When deamonte first became sick his mother, alyce driver, was searching in vain for a dentist for her other son, who was suffering from six rotted teeth. His mother needed a single dentist who would take medicaid to perform an 80 dollar extraction. Nearly four years after bacteria from an infected tooth spread to the brain of 12yearold deamonte driver and killed him, the dental clinic named in his memory had made its first stop at his. Bbc news americas boys death highlights us health debate. The death of a 12yearold us boy this february because of lack of dental care resurfaces in the. The story of beauty, inequality, and the struggle for. His story underscores the growing need in this wealthy nation to. Living in nearby maryland i went to congressional hearings where the. Only freddies moral beliefs justify accepting death in society, because some things are important. His tragic death demonstrates how our health care system so often fails the poor.
In 2007, 12yearold deamonte driver pictured above died after bacteria from an abscessed tooth. Oral health is an important part of overall health. This prompted his grandmother to bring him to southern maryland hospital center. Elected officials, led by congressman elijah cummings, called deamontes death a moral failure as well as a policy failure. Tragic results when dental care is out of reach dollars and. Each brush had deamonte bristles and was shaped like a tiny animal. Sadly, it was too late to save the boy, and he passed away on feb. His mother alyce, who worked at lowpaying jobs, had searched for a dentist to treat deamontes toothache who would accept medicaid, but she. Apr 18, 2007 but deamonte driver has become much more than just a tragic death. The aapd continues to advocate across the nation addressing ways to. Deamonte, a 12yearold from suburban prince georges county, maryland, died in february 2007 when bacteria from an abscessed tooth spread to his.
When this boy came home from school crying, his mom was. After two surgeries, and weeks in the hospital, young deamonte driver lost his fight for life. Deamonte driver was 12 years old when he passed away in 2007. Five years later, the same system that failed 12yearold deamonte driver is now touted as one of the best in the nation, officials said wednesday at a childrens dental care panel on capitol hill.
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