Medicaid Coverage In Dental Care

The problem in accessing dental care for low-income community is complex and cannot be determined simply. Lack of utilisation is as a result of lack of demands for dental health (Al Agili, Bronstein & Greene-McIntyre 2005). Demand also depends on the economic condition that supports the patients. At the individual level it has been known for years that financial reason is an essential barrier for not able to visit a dentist (Wallet et al. 2014). However, in this case, the Government try to assist low-income people by reducing financial barrier through the benefit offering by CDBS. Even though the scheme has not maximally encouraged those are eligible for the scheme. In addition to the financial barrier, perceived need is one of the reasons

Healthy People 2020 emphasis oral health in objective OH- 14. This objective is to increase the proportion of adults who receive preventive interventions in dental offices (Beall, 2011, p.15). This objective also includes three subcomponents of which two will be discussed. According to the American Dental Association’s Health Policy, the number of adults receiving dental services have declined from its peak of 41 percent in 2003 to 37 percent in 2010 (Oral Health, n.d.).

Socioeconomic status (SES) is the strongest determinant of health outcomes (Marmot & Bell, 2011). Parents and children of lower socioeconomic status are at higher risk of negative oral health outcomes and poor oral health-related quality of life (Jones, Shi, Hayashi, Sharma, Daly, & Ngo-Metzger, 2013 and Wells, Caplan, Strauss, Bell & George, 2010). Women with lower socioeconomic status are 30% less likely to utilize dental services. Likewise, they are 30% more likely to report unmet dental needs than women in higher socioeconomic gradients (Kaylor, Polivka, Chaudry, Salsberry, & Wee, 2010).

“Tooth decay is our nation’s most common childhood disease” (Nash, Mathu-Muju, Friedman, 2015). For years, childhood tooth decay and caries have been an increasing challenge. In addition to being the most common childhood disease, it is also the most prevalent health need that is consistently unmet. Despite these statistics, it is also known that early childhood caries (ECC) is highly preventable and can even be reversed with early diagnosis and professional intervention and guidance upon dental visits (Beil, Rozier, Preisser, Stearns, and Lee, 2014). So, if it is known that regular dental visits correlate with fewer ECC and treatments, then why is it that there is still such a high statistical number of untreated cases? Although this challenge has many factors associated with it, one of the largest challenges to oral health in Canada is access to oral healthcare for children. These children who lack access, statistically, have more oral disparities that may follow them into adulthood. Thus, creating an oral health problem for when this generation becomes adults as well. To solve the root of the problem, there is a need to focus on increasing children’s oral health and access to oral healthcare. Questions arise of why these children lack the access and what can be done to change this. Solutions such as introducing dental care and checkups in rural and community preschools/elementary have been of recent interest and will be discussed further (Nash et al., 2015). Here, the

Clearly just the provision of public dental insurance is not sufficient to eliminate disparities in the receipt of oral health care (Northridge et al., 2017; Schrimshaw, Siegel, Wolfson, Mitchell, & Kunzel, 2011). Recent progresses have accelerated shifts to unify dentistry and medicine as one field. Central to this movement is the acknowledgement that continued separation of these two fields disproportionately affects vulnerable populations of patients. Low-income people, individuals with disabilities, some racial group and rural are all more likely to suffer from dental disease and pain and will have difficulty gaining access to health care (Caldwell et al., 2016; Kim, Baker, Seirawan, & Crimmins, 2012; Kulkarni, Baldwin, Lightstone, Gelberg, & Diamant, 2010; Liu, Li, & Walker, 2014; Moffet et al., 2010).

A number of studies have linked poor oral health with low socioeconomic status. Affordability is identified as major challenge in accessing dental care. “For instance, 17.3 per cent of the whole population (i.e., approximately 6 million people) reports avoiding visiting a dentist in the last year due to the costs, and those living in the lowest income families report this as being a problem far more often than the highest income families (34 per cent vs. 9 per cent, respectively)”3,4

In this article, the theory that African Americans and Hispanics are less likely to seek dental care than Whites, was tested conducting telephone interviews between August 14th and September 27th, 2010 in Ohio. They utilized the Greater Cinnati Community Health Status Survey(GCCHSS) in order to conduct the interviews and the target population was adults whose age range was 45-75 years of age. The survey was done to determine not only lack of dental care, but also access and patient’s perceived needs. During the survey, people were asked if they visit a specific dental office or institution, how they perceived their oral health, as well as what conditions they already have in their mouth (ex. Dentures, fillings, etc.) Other questions asked were

My current event is on the highlight of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report on the reduction of tooth decay because of water fluoridation. The communities that do water fluoridation add a certain amount of fluoride to the water supply that they drink to prevent cavities (caries). The fluoride keeps the enamel strong and prevents tooth decay. It says that caries are one of the most common diseases in children. The studies showed that the amount of caries where substantially lower in the communities with water fluoridation and that the caries where increased when the water fluoridation

The cost of dental health care is increased in United States and it limit usage for many Americans (Dalstrom, 2013). More number of people going to Mexican borders for their treatment due to low health care cost, shorter waiting times, international accreditation, sterile equipment's and acceptance of United States dental insurance (Dalstrom, 2013, p. 75). Recent immigrants, European Americans, Hispanic Americans, and winter Texans are more migrated treating people (Dalstrom, 2013, p.

The field of dental hygiene has great potential to be a real service to people in the community. Unfortunately, the status of oral hygiene in America is currently lacking. As of 2014, the percentage of people ages 18-64 that went to the dentist in the past year was only 62.0%, and adults ages 20-44 with untreated dental caries was at 27.4% (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). These statistics are also presently on the rise. There is a plethora of contributing factors as to why oral hygiene is suffering in this day and age. A few explanations can be pinpointed to the restrictions (especially in Indiana) on dental hygienists, the public’s lack of knowledge, and certain dental programs that should

However, it should be noted that to substitute dentifrice with salt fluoridation is insufficient, and they should be used in combination21. Another example of vehicle for fluoride would be dairy product. Milk fluoridation can serve as complementary preventive mechanism for children living in communities where water fluoridation or other forms of community-based fluoride delivery are not feasible or possible. These communities are mainly rural areas, where children have a higher prevalence of caries and less access to dental care than children from urban or semi-urban areas. Weitz et al.22 assess the effectiveness of a dental caries prevention program with fluoridated milk product on the permanent dentition of Chilean rural schoolchildren, and Table 6 shows that such program is effective in caries prevention, as there is significant reductions in the DMFT index for children receiving fluoridated milk over 36 months (range 24-27%). Overall, 39% of 9-year-olds were free from caries (DMFT=0) at the end of the study (p= 0.095), and 23% of 12-year- olds were free from caries (p= 0.016). The cost of milk fluoridation is about 2-3 euro per child per year, with 0.5-1.0 mg of fluoride per day. It is reported that the level of ingested fluoride from milk is well within WHO guidelines , and there is no adverse

But the most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2012 reported that there has been reverse trend after 1990. Although small, a significant increase has been observed3. According to the data and statistics, it can be inferred that there exists many disparities in oral health and particularly caries. Disparities by family income shows striking features. Children of low income group suffers from cavities more when compared to peers of other income groups. Social factors like race, ethnicity, age, sex also show disparities in prevalence of caries. Also, people without insurance coverage have more oral problems when compared to people with insurance or

As society continues to age, the lack of dental care is becoming an increasingly critical issue, given the evidence that dental health is intertwined with overall health. It is expected that 21% of the U.S population will be 65 years or older by the year 2040, thanks to the influx of baby boomers (Stein, Aalboe, 2015). Due to this rapid growth in longevity, the problem of access to care will be magnified. More older adults are aging with their natural teeth compared to previous generations. For this reason, an increased awareness about the lack of dental care in our health care system has become a concern. Evidence links oral health to systemic health (Foltyn, 2015). Indeed, it is “currently recognized that oral diseases are a worldwide

Introduction: Oral Health is integral to the healthy physical, social-emotional and intellectual development of every child. Many children around the world continue to suffer from oral diseases such as caries, gingival infection & malocclusion. Tooth decay, if left untreated even in the earliest stages of life, can have serious implications for a child’s long-term health and well-being. To offer a solution to this problem, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) establishes a concept of Dental Home for early care and prevention. For the past several years, both dental health professionals and the lay community have been using the term “dental home,” The Dental Home is corollary of the Medical Home concept that the American Academy

Consequently, these highly politicised short-term measures ineffectively address health across whole populations, hence the persistence and universality of oral health inequities. In lieu of public health behaviourism, contemporary public health practices require the construction of a broader social environment that promotes oral health across the population. Examples of this progressive approach include implementation of broad-ranging social policies such as taxation and benefits for unemployment, maternity, illness or rehabilitation. Therefore, the remodelling of public oral healthcare necessitates better collaboration between dental public health practitioners, researchers and policymakers within and between countries. Conclusively, the addressing of social determinants is pivotal in facilitating the mitigation of public oral health inequalities.