Blaming the victim...

[Charade]

I was watching GMA this morning and they had a dentist on that was talking about a problem Diane saw on her new special "Children of the mountain".

Apparently they drink A LOT of Mountain Dew. Mountain Dew contains a lot more sugar and acid than other sodas. The people of Appalachia have developed "Mountain Dew Mouth" which is severely rotted teeth. They sip MD throughout the day (the children keep it on their school desk).

On GMA Diane said that Pepsi (makers of MD) said they (the people of Appalachia) need to have better dental hygiene. The dentist said that's like "blaming the victim" for their MD mouth.

I really don't think this a case of "blaming the victim".

What say you?

 

[luvmy3]

Shouldn't we be blaming the "victims"?

 

[Disney1fan2002]

Well, a good dental hygenist is going to tell them to STOP drinking the stuff. Hygenists can only do so much, the rest is up to the person.

I agree with Pepsi. If they want to drink the stuff, maybe they should brush their teeth 16 times a day.

 

[Mermaid02]

I was watching GMA this morning and they had a dentist on that was talking about a problem Diane saw on her new special "Children of the mountain".

Apparently they drink A LOT of Mountain Dew. Mountain Dew contains a lot more sugar and acid than other sodas. The people of Appalachia have developed "Mountain Dew Mouth" which is severely rotted teeth. They sip MD throughout the day (the children keep it on their school desk).

On GMA Diane said that Pepsi (makers of MD) said they (the people of Appalachia) need to have better dental hygiene. The dentist said that's like "blaming the victim" for their MD mouth.

I really don't think this a case of "blaming the victim".

What say you?

What a load of crap. That's what I say.

 

[Darsa]

I'm with you, Charade

Are they being FORCED to drink Mountain Dew? Is there no water available? Do they not have toothpaste and toothbrushes there?

That's ridiculous. On this one I agree with Pepsi. Or not even that, DRINK WATER INSTEAD, Hello?!?!??!

Sheesh.

 

[Mahnahmahnah]

I heard about this.

No one forces you to drink MD, and no one forces you to brush your teeth. You make choices in life. It's called personal responsibility.

 

[Kim&Chris]

If those people can find stores that sell Mountain Dew, then one can only assume those same stores sell water.

No excuses.

No one is FORCING them to buy or drink Mountain Dew.

 

[Free4Life11]

Well you certainly can't blame the children, unless children are now responsible for making and paying for dentist appointments, oh, and being well-informed of things that are bad for their teeth.

When I was in school we had lessons on teeth and they would have a dentist come in and show us how to brush our teeth, hand out free toothbrushes, don't they do this in these kids schools?

Shame on the parents though for just buying Mountain Dew!

My sister has been on many mission trips to Appalachia. Bless her heart because it's just too depressing for me.

ETA -- I'm interest to watch the report tonight. I really hope ABC News/Diane Sawyer can some of these children!

 

[tmarquez]

Mountain Dew mouth?!

This is just ridiculous. And a dentist said this? So if say they drank Dr Pepper instead, their teeth would be fine?

Maybe they have bad genetics...or don't take care of their mouths properly...I wonder if the dentist thought about that.

Both my brother and I are heavy soda drinkers and haven't ever had so much as a single cavity.

And what kid of school lets kids drink soda all day at their desks? Is there a high suicide rate among teachers there as well?

 

[Free4Life11]

Here's a link with a video about the Mountain Dew mouth:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=6863173&page=1

 

[eliza61]

I'm with the majority on this one. If some thing is rotting your teeth, time to make the break to good old fashion water.

 

[Charade]

Here's a link with a video about the Mountain Dew mouth:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=6863173&page=1

That's the guy.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

I'm with the majority on this one. If some thing is rotting your teeth, time to make the break to good old fashion water.

I agree. I used to babysit my two neices. they BOTH lost their baby teeth due to rot before they were two years old!!! So, here come these toothless pre-schoolers to my house. What did their mom pack them in their juice cups?? COKE! Everyday. I would take the coke and dump it down the drain.

I never can understand how parents can let toddlers and preschoolers drink soda and eat bags of candy everyday.

 

[Mahnahmahnah]

Here's a link with a video about the Mountain Dew mouth:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=6863173&page=1

Here's another thing that contributes to the problem:

The dental dilemma in Kentucky is that nearly one out of every two of the state's children are enrolled in Medicaid, but barely a quarter of dentists accept the insurance. So for the Appalachian families on Medicaid, they often have few options when or if they want to see a dentist.

 

[yeartolate]

Good Lord.

Maybe they should have a regional Mountain Dew with scrubbing bubbles.

 

[Charade]

Here's another thing that contributes to the problem:

But apparently they can afford gallons of MD.

 

[wall*e2008]

Why the hell do kids have MD or any soda sitting on their desks?

So I eat a big mac with extra large fries every lunch and dinner and I am now obese. Whose fault is that? Mine of course. Just becaue McDonald's makes big macs does not mean I must consume one every time I pass a McDonld's by.

We need to take responsibility for what we can control and stop looking for others to blame.

 

[olena]

How can one have money for MD and fruits and vegetables are too expensive?

 

[xoprincessmomxo]

MD rots your teeth. So does not brushing them. I can understand where both sides are coming from. The lack of dental care as well as the ignorance running rampant through the appalachia area is more of the worry here. It is such a sad truth to see children living like that. They say there is equal opportunity for everyone born in the USA. All you have to do is travel into these forgotten places and wonder if that's true for these children...

 

[Mahnahmahnah]

But apparently they can afford gallons of MD.

Oh, ITA- but having worked in a dental office I can tell you that when people have little or no insurance, or they can't find a dentist who will take their insurance, they most likely will not seek dental care. That's just the way it is. Is it wrong, yes! Is it their fault, yes! But I tend to place 'some blame' on the dentists who do not want to accept Medicaid as well. That's just me, though. It is a contributing factor.