AMERICA: A Case Study

One practice that can be neglected by nurses in a critical care setting is oral care. “Poor oral

In Dr. Parson’s presentation, I learned that there are still many seniors with out dental insurance. This is sad because the population by 2030 is going to double and more will eventually need treatment done by a dentist. According to her presentation oral care is not a concern to the nursing home staff. Some families show up to brush their family members teeth. With the limited financial resources for dental care these patients have it is one of their barriers to getting treatment done if needed or even cleaning. Therefore, we as dental hygienist can help make a difference by going out to the community and offering dental care education to the nursing staff because they must first know how to take care of their oral health before taking care

Evidence increasingly shows that poor oral health is associated with functional disability that can lead to deficits and decline” (Overview of oral health, 2017). According to an article in the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, dental fear can have a significant impact on a person’s awareness of their oral health, as well as one’s pro-active steps towards prevention and treatment. Therefore, it is paramount in helping a patient alleviate their fear by listening to the patient, acknowledging their concerns, and taking things slowly (Yildirim,

While most of the patients I interacted with were seeking non-dental care, I met patients who were seeking care to health conditions that stem from their oral health such as oral abscesses, which our team was unable to treat except for prescribing antibiotics or painkillers. I encountered similar situations when I shadowed physicians in the emergency room of hospitals, observing a variety of craniofacial disorders originating from a preventable tooth decay. From these observations, I learned that patients often did not receive treatment that addressed the root of their problems: their oral health. As the result, I learned that many physicians saw the same patient repeatedly for problems that would otherwise be easily prevented through proper preventive dental care. Determining to address the unmet needs for accessible preventive dental care, I decided to pursue a career in dentistry so that I can provide a positive and meaningful impact to the underserved community on their oral health and ultimately their overall

Dentistry, in one form or another, helps abate feelings of hopelessness and accountability that occur during periods of confusion. Not only are they knowledgeable about specific nuances that accompany oral hygiene, but they are also very good communicators. During my interview with the interviewee continually stressed the importance of communication. Communication is imperative in many respects as individuals seek closure within the context of an uncertain world. As she indicated throughout the interview, dental hygienist helps to facilitate a healthy exchange of both concepts and notions to an already emotional individual. This is quite important as the dentist can

Although there have been oral health care models, as well as, best practice concepts for oral health, there is still a host of barriers that prevent this problem from being minimalized. Factors including negative behaviors from both the staff and residents, dexterity, mobility, as well as a lack of dental supplies, often leave the residents or the health care personnel frustrated. Some of the factors that prevent dentists from caring for these residents is a lack of mobile equipment, lack of space, time away from their private practice, and low reimbursement rates (Dirks, 2016). The director of nursing, along with the administrator, must collaborate with dental personnel to change the culture and instill a higher value on oral health. On-site training and education must be included in oral care, along with infection control regulations. Most residents are not able to coordinate their own care and often rely on personnel at the facility for assistance. There needs to be a collaboration between dental personnel, facility staff, and the residents, to cultivate oral care as an integral part of health and wellness for each resident (Chaves,

“The impact of unmet oral health care needs is magnified by the well-established connection between oral health and overall health” (Fineberg, H. 2011, p. ix). Oral health status is linked with general health, as evidenced by the association between poor oral health and chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease. Poor oral hygiene can also lead to other health issues such as, oral facial pain and digestive problems. “The silent epidemic of oral diseases disproportionately affects disadvantaged communities,

The outcome is that many low-income adults and other Medicaid beneficiaries continue to suffer from pain and discomfort of tooth decay and gum disease. Eventually, at some point, patient may need to go to expensive emergency rooms, where they can do little but provide temporary pain relief. Consequently, untreated oral diseases can increase anxiety and may worsen other health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis (Choi, 2011).

The Comprehensive Dental Reform Act of 2015, introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Elijah Cummings, had the concept to expand dental coverage through a wide array of resources, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The bill mandates

Dental public health programs in the United States operate on federal, state, or local levels. The roles and responsibilities of these programs are directly related to the level of which the program operates. Both similarities and differences can be seen when comparing dental public health programs with regard to organization, financing and delivery of care. Despite differences in the levels in which different dental public health programs operate, all of the programs share a common, generalized goal of improving the oral health status of the public.

Communication in healthcare is key to avoid medical errors and misunderstanding regarding treatment planning. One problem that the healthcare system is experiencing, is the lack of good communication between patients and healthcare providers. This problem is seeing daily in a Dental office, where patients fail to understand the treatment needed and why the recommendation was given; especially, when it comes to periodontal disease. One would think that socio-economic status would have a bug impact in patient’s periodontal health, while it is true in some cases, wealthy people also question the need of periodontal treatment. It seems like the public is not educated about gum disease, but only caries. Moreover, it would be interesting to do a research on how much knowledge do the public have about gum disease and how to create conscience on the need to have regular dental cleanings.

Increasing access to health care has been a focus of concern for health policy for United States for many years. But tragically, oral care has failed to gather the focus that it requires. Often oral care is neglected as a result, a large population have a limited access to oral care especially children of lower income group.

I chose an article by Duley, et al., (2012) because it highlights the importance of collaborative practice in healthcare while addressing an area of that has a huge gap in care. In the ED, we frequently care for patients with dental issues like facial pain and swelling caused by infection related to dental caries. They lack access to dental care due to no insurance and no laws to protect their access to dental care. Since the ED cannot turn away patients under EMTALA laws, clients come to the ED for their care. At some point in our healthcare history, the mouth/teeth became separate from the rest of our body. Oral care, oral problems and insurance are provided parallel to medical care.

Practice design has direct relationship to patient flow. A common held belief in dentistry is that there should be a separation between general dentistry and hygiene. This concept has each dental provider working from dedicated ‘general dentistry’ spaces, chairs, and setups and dental hygiene can only perform cleanings in hygiene chairs and rooms. This forms dental ‘departmental walls’ or work areas done by ‘dedicated’ function and creates a lot of walking and patient scheduling delays. The definition of dental inefficiency and ineffectiveness is when staff members walk from the end of one hallway to another to tell the dentist that the patient is ready for an exam or a procedure.

Although many Americans have good oral hygiene due to fluoride and making everyday good decisions, others do not have any access at all to oral health care. Over the years, dentists have been trying to demonstrate the importance of oral care. (“Access to Dental Care”) From commercials to campaigns, dentists will continue to demonstrate to their patients as well as to the people who don't have insurance the importance of oral health care. They will teach them preventative care and some techniques on how to prevent from getting any diseases.