In an interview with Medscape Medical News, Burton Edelstein, DDS, MPH, from the College of Dental Medicine and Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, and the founder of the Children's Dental Health Project, said children are gaining more oral healthcare while adults are losing it. While social responsibility and the cost savings of prevention are key factors, “there is nothing like big eyes in a little face to influence legislation,” the Medscape article states.

"Children are regarded as vulnerable, they are regarded as dependent, and they are cute," Edelstein said.

The disparity stands out in several recent studies on dental care in the United States.

To read the full Medscape article, click here.