The American Academy Of Pediatric Dentistry

Many low income areas have dental therapists as part of their local dental team. Many people in these areas have never been to a dentist or do not go every six months as recommended this poses many other health problems. There has been case studies and data showing that in these areas dental health

In the course of my time volunteering at the UCSD Student-Run Free Dental Clinics, I came to understand how poverty, language barriers, and a lack of knowledge about the importance of dental care can lead to readily preventable and treatable dental problems. These dental problems can lead to a cascade of issues, preventing an individual’s progress. As a clinic volunteer inside the school’s dental clinic, I noticed young students, with poor dental care, have constant pain that affected their studies and attitude. I recall a Hispanic young boy telling me he was sharing a toothbrush with his family. I hand over multiple toothbrushes and, using Spanish cards, educate him on oral hygiene. With each treatment visit, he was eager to tell the dentist

Over 130 million Americans do not have dental insurance. On top of that, almost a million emergency room visits last year resulted from preventable oral conditions. Many Americans today are unaware of how the condition of their dentition affects their overall health. Socioeconomic limitations, the lack of dental education in parents, eating habits, and simply the availability of dentists plays a key role in the state of children’s oral health; implementing a universal dental care program will help lower the barriers that many people face when it comes to receiving the dental care they need. The program will target high-risk individuals who are prone to dental caries and provide them with standard

Over 130 million Americans do not have dental insurance. On top of that, almost a million emergency room visits last year resulted from preventable oral conditions. Many Americans today are unaware of how the condition of their dentition affects their overall health. Socioeconomic limitations, the lack of dental education in parents, eating habits, and simply the availability of dentists plays a key role in the state of children’s oral health; implementing a universal dental care program will help lower the barriers that many people face when it comes to receiving the dental care they need. The program will target high-risk individuals who are prone to dental caries and provide them with standard treatment.

The utilization of assigned dental home linkage, which is considered to be a key factor in the attempt to reducing the risk of caries development in children by timely provision of services by health care professionals is extremely low in the DC-Medicaid cohort for Calendar year 2014. Out of 55 individuals who were seen by a physician, only 6 had a follow up visit with a dentist, which is far lower than expected, and we did not do any further analysis of this finding. It represents the need for special measures that need to be taken. A combined effort of spreading awareness among people, physicians and dentist through education, and further research by qualitative analysis to find the reasons for such low referral rate might be

Oral health care is an integral part of the US healthcare system. In 2012, Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced “The Comprehensive Dental Reform Act”, which aimed on expanding dental coverage, accessible oral health care centers, increase in dental workforce, enhanced dental education and encourage dental research. (Congress.gov). The ACA, aim to curb the national health spending, by facilitating the affordability to quality care through private and public health insurance. The purpose of this bill is to cut the healthcare costs and to reverse the “silent epidemic” of dental health status (surgeon gen). This dental bill with an integrated approach towards the preventive and comprehensive oral healthcare is estimated to provide coverage to almost 17.7 million adults. (ADA

Health care has been an issue for the United States of America for multiple years. Dental care, a topic that does not get much attention because people believe it is trivial, plays a major part in people’s lives, particularly children. Gerard van Honthorst’s The Tooth Puller shows a dentist pulling a patient’s tooth with five observers watching. Van Honthorst shows how in awe or scared people are of the dentist. There is a negative outlook on dentists and dental care: people are afraid of the dentist giving them their negative connotation, while dental care only causes pain in many people eyes. There is a problem in the health care system and improvement in the system is needed because health care is a right for every citizen, especially dental care. The United States of America’s government should allow dental therapist to conduct the procedure that normal dentist conduct for free for children under the age of twelve. The government should fund the teaching, training, and employment of dental therapists to care for underserved people.

Oral health has a direct impact on the general health, hence, it is important that all Canadians have adequate access to dental care services. Over the years successive Governments have reduced financial support to programs delivering dental care to most vulnerable populations. As a result, many low income families and other vulnerable groups have been unable to access dental care. There is further escalation in the disparities in oral health care among Canadians, as the number of Canadians losing dental care benefits continues to increase. Also, higher oral health care costs can be expected in the near future due to shortage of health care professionals.

The authors have properly addressed the health disparities in this article. They started the article by telling the audience why Hispanic faces health disparities the most. First, due to the language barrier they have insufficient knowledge of oral health. Most the people who participated in this study were immigrants, Spanish. Only 2/3 of the people spoke and understood little to no English. Second, because of the poverty they have can’t afford dental health and avoid going to see the dentist. ¾ of the parents received an income of $2,000 or under per month. Third, many of the families did not have any type of dental insurance.

Dental care coverage is much less dominant than medical care coverage in the United States. When compared between medical and dental coverage of adults over the age of 21, about 15 percent have no form of medical care coverage, but over 45 percent have no form of dental care coverage (Brown & Manski, 2004; Buchmueller, Miller, & Vujicic, 2014). Moreover, Americans over 65 continue to be the age group with

Lack of access to dental health services and providers also affects utilization rates within the adult Medicaid population (Licata & Paradise, 2012; Davis., Deinard &, Maïga, 2010; MacDougall, 2016; Hinton & Paradise 2016; PEW Center on the

In America, the number of retiring dentists exceeds the number of graduating dentists annually (Friedman & Mathu-Muju, 2014). Deficits related to this statistic leave low income families, especially children, lacking the dental care and education necessary to maintain a healthy dentition throughout their lifetime. Out of the 43 million children enrolled in Medicaid only 12-49% receives any type of dental care; this is partially related to the fact that only 20% of dentists accept Medicaid patients (Friedman & Mathu-Muju, 2014). Also, for those living in rural areas a trip to the dentist can become a chore. Here in Kansas 84% of our population live in a dental desert, meaning they have no access to dental care, nationally 49 million Americans face this problem (PBS Source). Current dental models have divided the population into two groups, those who can afford preventative and restorative care, and those who cannot. Training dental therapists to

Further, organized dentistry can develop several strategies to increase access to dental care and delivery of quality dental health services that are substantial for children with special dental needs. For example, strategies to increase the number of providers with appropriate training to treat CSHCN. Further, to increase providers' participation in the Medicaid program and improving their knowledge, empathy for and training to accommodate in care of children with special needs which is essential in improving access to dental care for this population. Further, it is important to integrate a training of dental students (both primary and comprehensive preventive and oral health care) who graduate from dental or dental hygiene schools to be competent in assessing treatment needs. Lastly, dental students must learn how to care for children with special needs that follow the guidelines of American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (Al Agili et al., 2004). In conclusion, health insurance coverage showed positive impact on access and utilization of health care for CSHCN. Health insurance should not be viewed as a solution in itself, but instead as one element of a comprehensive strategy to provide financial safety for CSHCN and their

Dental Hygiene is very important to me and has been since I was a child, this has influenced my desire of becoming a pediatric dentist. In a personal interview i conducted with Dr.Bills she informed me of this, “Dental Hygiene is emphasized by all dentists, we want our patients to have elegant white teeth and pleasant breath”(Bills). I would like to teach children the importance of keeping their teeth brushed so that they will have a beautiful smile and healthy teeth. Pediatric Dentistry is a superb fit for me because I care about dental health and I want children to know the importance as well. It is never too early for children to learn how important dental hygiene is.

Although considered preventable, 53.6% of Medicaid eligible kindergarteners studied in California had a history of dental caries and 27.8 % had decay present at the time of the screening (Dental Health Foundation, 2006). Teaching young children effective oral hygiene techniques is the most effective way to protect the child’s teeth and help them to develop a daily oral wellness routine ("Dental Health," 2015). By focusing on those most in need, Medicaid eligible preschool aged children, teaching and reinforcing effective oral hygiene strategies early in life will foster a lifelong habit of oral health wellness (Gardner, Lally, & Wardle, 2012).