Dental Health In Low Income Families
Dental Healthcare in Low-Income
Families
Despite strives in from health care
professional’s dental healthcare remains to be a prevalent, unmet healthcare
need in the U.S. today. Children from
low-income families are less likely to receive comprehensive dental care and
are more likely to have acute dental disease than children from middle-and
upper-income families.
Access to care is limited by the
number of dentists who accept Medicaid or provide charity care for the
uninsured. In the few caregiver studies that have been conducted, factors
affecting access include lack of knowledge among caregivers and physicians of
the consequences of oral disease among children, children’s dental anxiety, and
negative experiences with the dental care system (difficulty with locating
providers, arranging appointments, and transportation; long waiting times; and
discriminatory treatment).
Why is Oral
Care so important? Because of
oral health’s impact on a person’s general well-being in a wide variety of
settings, dental and medical professionals have come to recognize that oral
health is a critical component of health and it is imperative that it is
included in healthcare along with the design of community programs. Oral health
and general health are inseparably linked.
According
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tooth decay is the
most common chronic childhood infectious disease in the United States. It is
five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever.
The daily reality for children with untreated oral disease is often persistent
pain, inability to eat comfortably or chew well, embarrassment at discolored
and damaged teeth, and distraction from play and learning.
Although oral
diseases are considered highly preventable with knowledge and proper oral
healthcare, these low income families face numerous serious health problems and
quality of life issues because they do not currently receive even a basic level
of care.
Utilizing
caregivers emphasized preventing dental problems (“lays the groundwork for good
teeth when you’re an adult”), monitoring dental growth (“make corrections if
they have teeth that grow in crooked”),
and developing life-long preventive dental care habits (“if you start at a
young age, they won’t be so scared of the dentist”).
Utilizing caregivers more strongly
expressed the belief that dental care is equally as important as medical care
and that oral health is integral to overall health (e.g., heart disease).
Nonetheless, some perceived dental care as something “the poor must often set
aside” and that societal emphasis on medical over dental insurance reinforces
beliefs that dental care is less important to health. “Our Society has said so
many organizations must provide medical coverage but that does not include
dental. That’s saying that dental coverage is not as important as medical
coverage. I think our society has just accepted that.”
In an intervention done in Oklahoma,
groups of dentists, health professionals, and government officials got together
and expressed many of the same concerns as we heard from dentists in Kentucky.
As they were putting together their intervention issues that must be
addressed in Oklahoma to improve the oral health of their state’s children were
discussed, major topics of discussion included:
·
Creating a better understanding of the
importance that oral health plays in the overall health and well-being of
Oklahoma children.
·
The need for early dental exams/screenings
and prevention efforts to create a vital, strong foundation for children’s
ongoing oral health.
·
The need to increase oral health
education efforts statewide.
·
Encouraging more dentists and
hygienists to practice in Oklahoma counties and towns that have few, if any,
dental professionals.
·
Increasing access to oral
healthcare for all underserved and uninsured families.
·
Continuing to address the oral
health of Oklahoma’s children with special health needs.
The
good news is, as you have read, it has been recognized that oral healthcare
needs aren’t being met in the United States, especially in low income families.
There are also ongoing interventions and programs in place to help eradicate
this health disparity. Just in case you aren’t quite convinced about the
importance of oral health I will leave you with a few facts about dental care.
1.
Tooth decay is the
most common chronic childhood infectious disease in the United States. By
age 17, 78% of young people have suffered from
it, and 7% have lost at least one permanent tooth. Untreated tooth decay causes pain and
infections that may
lead to problems that affect eating, speaking, playing and learning.
2.
More than half of children aged 5-9 have had at least one carie
(cavity) or filling; 78% of 17-yearolds have experienced tooth decay.
3.
Fewer than one in
five Medicaid-covered children had a preventive dental visit during a recent
year-long study.
4.
Insurance coverage for dental care is
increasing but still lags behind medical insurance. For every child under 18
years of age without medical insurance, there are 2.6 children without dental
insurance.
5. The
daily reality for children with untreated oral disease is often persistent
pain, inability to eat comfortably or chew well, embarrassment at discolored
and damaged teeth, and distraction from play and learning.
Works Cited
Association, O. D. (2009). Governor’s Task Force
on Children and Oral Health - final report. Oklahoma City: Delta Dental of
Oklahoma. Retrieved from
http://www.ok.gov/health2/documents/DentalReport2009.pdf
Kelly, S. E. (2004). Barriers to Care-Seeking for
Children’s Oral Health Among Low-Income Caregivers. American Journal of
Public Health, 1-9. Retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1449365/#__ffn_sectitle
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