Friday Roundup

Here is a listing of articles published in the last 7-10 days that may be of interest:

Health
1. Preschoolers in surgery for a mouthful of cavities; New York Times, March 6, 2012
Brief Introduction: The number of preschoolers requiring extensive dental work suggests that many other parents make the same mistake. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted an increase, the first in 40 years, in the number of preschoolers with cavities in a study five years ago. But dentists nationwide say they are seeing more preschoolers at all income levels with 6 to 10 cavities or more. The level of decay, they added, is so severe that they often recommend using general anesthesia because young children are unlikely to sit through such extensive procedures while they are awake.

2. Digital records may not cut health costs, study cautions; New York Times, March 5, 2012
Brief Introduction: Computerized patient records are unlikely to cut health care costs and may actually encourage doctors to order expensive tests more often, a study published on Monday concludes.


Education
1. Minorities get harsher discipline in U.S. schools, survey shows; Bloomberg.com, March 6, 2012
Brief Introduction: Black children made up 18 percent of students in a survey of U.S. schools while accounting for 35 percent of those suspended once, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Black students are more than 3 1/2 times as likely to be suspended or expelled than their white classmates, the survey showed.

2. California schools establish 'early warning system' to identify potential dropouts; Huffingtonpost.com, March 6, 2012
Brief Introduction: Some school districts in California are working to establish an "early warning system" to identify middle grade students who are at risk of dropping out, and then to vigorously intervene so they don't.


Race
1. Autism not diagnosed as early in minorities; Las Vegas Review-Journal, March 4, 2012
Brief Introduction: Landa's preliminary research suggests that even when diagnosed in toddlerhood, minority youngsters have more severe developmental delays than their white counterparts. She says cultural differences in how parents view developmental milestones, and how they interact with doctors, may play a role.