The American Dental Association Essay

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.

Families who are at a social, economic, or environmental disadvantage are groups who have greater obstacles to dental care. High-risk groups include children living in poverty, racial and ethnic minority communities, homelessness, and special needs children.

The Cherokee nation of Oklahoma is one of the many native Indian tribes that place a great emphasis on health care. There are noticeable efforts in improving the health system in the Cherokee nation as well as the health of its individuals. For a long time, the Cherokee nation has engaged in successful health care experiences such as building health centers, launching health programs or even individually engaging in the health field to improve the overall healthcare in the nation.

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.

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

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the health status of the American Indian/ Alaskan Native (AI/AN). A comparison and contrast of AI/ANs with the national average regarding the health status such as heart disease and strokes will be presented. Multifactorial barriers limiting health, and the overall factors affecting health within this population are identified. Current health status will be presented including health promotion and disparities among this US population. Primary, secondary, and tertiary health promotions will be discussed along with one approach to promoting health offered.

The provision of dental treatment in Australia is a topic that ignites a wide range of opinions and emotions among the various stakeholders involved. Much of dentistry in Australia is provided in the private setting, some estimates suggesting 83%1. Australians fund up to 60% of dental care via out of pocket payments1,2. Only a relatively small amount of dental care is provided in the public sector to patients who are often disadvantaged in regards to their oral health1. It is estimated that a large amount of the population is unable to access dental care due to finances; however the capacity of the public sector to provide dental care is limited. With limited funding and resources, the public sector is unable to provide dental care for all Australians and a large proportion of people are on long wait lists, some estimates of 650,0002.

The IHS, which is part of the Affordable Care Act, issues some health care benefits to assist Native Americans on reservations (“Health Coverage For”). But people fail to identify loopholes in the ACA that prevent Native Americans from gaining proper access health care. For example, health care provided by the IHS only applies to federally recognized tribes. Although there are 567 federally recognized tribes today, there are also 460 tribes that still lack government recognition (Olife). This means that those who are not federally recognized are ineligible for Medicare needs that could be available to them if they were government recognized. In addition to that, medicaid has not expanded to at least 20 states (Norris). So even if Native tribes are government recognized, medicaid is not available to those who live in those states. In other words, Natives will have to find other means for helping themselves until more states expand on Medicaid. But do medical emergencies have time to wait? So in the case of Native Americans on reservations, even if they are entitled to health insurance under the ACA, if they are not federally recognized or live in a state that accepts medicaid, Natives will be forced to support

The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (CN) is one of the many Native American tribes that place a great emphasis on health care. There are noticeable efforts and investments in improving the health care system in the Cherokee Nation. Through the building of health care centers, launching health programs, and individually engaged tribal members in the health field, the Cherokee Nation is striving to improve the overall health care of their people.

The history of the American Indians after the European invasion of the New World is not a pleasant topic. Everyone wants to believe the stories that are told about Squanto, the Pilgrims and the harmony of the first Thanksgiving and then skip the next three hundred years of oppression and racism. Unfortunately, the next three hundred years happened and by the 20th century most Indian tribes as well as their traditional ways of life, had been extinguished. Despite the widespread destruction of the American Indian, many still survive. In an attempt to provide some sort of compensation the federal government of the United States has a special health care system set up for American Indian descendants.

Some may argue that Native Americans live a decent life with the aid that the United States has given them. Americans feel that the reservations that Native Americans are given is the proper way to respect their lands and culture, by allowing them to have a small portion of what was once all of their territory. According to USA.gov, there is the National Tribal Preservation Program to help tribes protect resources and traditions important to them. This provides Native American tribes with the assistance that they need to maintain their way of life and cultural ideals. Yet Blackfoot Indians have been forcibly migrated and partially integrated into society without any aid. The United States government has neglected the Blackfoot Indians by degrading their culture and subjecting them into bitter

The United States Federal government has a responsibility to provide services to American Indians and Alaska Native (AI/AN) persons. However, a long-standing history of underfunding of the Indian Health Service (IHS) has led to significant challenges in providing services. In contrast, the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA) has affected the way health services are provided. The IHCIA was reauthorized as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and several provisions in ACA has allow for potential improvements in access to services for the Native American population. However, it becomes problematic to articulate formal corporate-wide policies and procedures for Native Americans and health care. Understanding and managing

One of the largest issues facing the American Indian's today is that health care. As tribes and urban Indian health centers struggle along with the rest of the country to address the growing numbers of Elders in their communities. There are key issues and special considerations that must be addressed to ensure American Indian Elders are not forgotten in any proposed reform or redesign proposals that the newly formed Medicaid Commission or Congress put forth. By 2030, it is estimated there will be 430,000 American Indian and Alaska Native Elders, constituting 12.2% of the American Indian population (Day, 1993). While the

Native reservations have some health issues because they don’t have access to clean running water. According to Becky Norton, “We have a very high rate of strep throat, bad colds and other illnesses that come with the poor sanitation and lack of access to clean water” (Risen). For Natives getting water is highly important to ensure them that themselves and kids are healthy and in good shape. Health problems are not the only issues Native Americans

This reflection acts as my fourth reflection since I have started my internship at Comfort Dental under the Guidance of Dr. Trino Nuno. The semester is coming to an end, and I have enjoyed my time at Comfort Dental., I previously had a clinical and administrative internship at Smile Works Dentistry in Rockwall, Texas and I can now tell you that my experience at these two dental practices was incredibly different. At Smile Works, I quickly got used to the way the practice was run because it was not that complicated and I only had one doctor’s schedule to manage. However, at Comfort Dental I still struggle with managing day-to-day functions. The reason I struggle is that Comfort Dental has three doctors and a lot more staff. Also, the computer system that I mastered at Smile Works is not the same computer system that they use at Comfort Dental. I got the chance to use all to same skills in this internship. I answered phones, checked that patient’s insurance plans are eligible to be billed and scanned paper documents into a hard drive.