USA - Scarcity of dental care for children a community shame
Scarcity of dental care for children a community shame
Monday, January 7, 2008
BY PEDRO TOLEDO
Growing up, I proudly looked up to my older sister, who worked as the dental clinic manager at the largest community clinic in Northern California, La Clinica De La Raza.In those days, much as they do today, La Clinica ensured that children received quality preventative care as well as training on everyday oral health.
I remember watching Spanish-language videos on how to brush, floss and how to use red chewing plaque tablets. I stood in front of the mirror as she showed me how to angle my toothbrush and reach every tooth three times a day.In fact, preventative dental care was a standard for every clinic pediatric patient. La Clinica served as my dental home. High-quality dental care was always available.
In Sonoma County, community clinics have enrolled tens of thousands of low-income children into public health insurance products and worked tirelessly to ensure that all children have access to medical and dental care.Almost all low-income children in our community are enrolled in medical and dental insurance, but only a fraction of them are able to find a dentist willing to accept their insurance. Consequently, many low-income children in our community do not have a dental home. Low reimbursement rates from public insurance preclude many children from ever seeing a dentist to prevent the escalation of dental problems.In fact, the lack of access to preventative dentistry negatively impacts the oral health of our children in unprecedented ways.At school, children learn in pain, suffering needlessly from serious dental problems that could have easily been avoided. An estimated 3,000 children in our community suffer from tooth decay so severe that they require anesthesia to receive dental treatment.
These children must now undergo traumatic surgical procedures for oral health disease that could have been easily avoided through preventative dentistry. I find it shameful that the situation has deteriorated to this point. Medi-Cal covers hundreds, even thousands, of dollars for children to receive oral surgical care, but only pays private-practice dentists a few dollars to clean a child’s teeth once a year. Many low-income families have no choice but to wait until simple dental problems escalate before finding relief for their children.I received comprehensive dental care as a child and I believe that Sonoma County can provide the same level of care to all our children. Every child in Sonoma County should have a dental home – a place where he or she receives regular dental screenings, fluoride treatments, oral health education, and low-cost dental care. Pre-ventative dentistry is not a new concept and our children should not be suffering needlessly with dental pain. Recently, a pediatric oral surgery center opened its doors in Sonoma County. The surgery center will greatly improve the quality of life for thousands of children in our community who are in pain and require surgical procedures. However, pediatric surgery centers are only one piece of the solution to the oral health problem. We need to work collaboratively towards a comprehensive solution that guarantees all our children have a dental home.Redwood Community Health Coalition clinics operate 30 dental chairs throughout our county, and see over 40,000 dental visits annually. The dental community has shown a willingness to partner with us in meeting the needs of low-income children. Nearly 150 dental providers from our community will volunteer their dental services at RCHC clinics on Give Kids a Smile Day, which falls on Feb. 1. The community clinics, local dentists and other community leaders must continue to work together to leverage our resources to meet the needs of low-income children. Together we can develop a dental care delivery model that guarantees all children have a dental home. I welcome all concerned community members to work with RCHC and our collaborative partners to develop a comprehensive community plan for increasing access to preventative dentistry for low-income children.•••Pedro Toledo is director of Community and Government Relations for Redwood Community Health Coalition – the network of 16 community health centers in Sonoma, Marin, Napa and Yolo counties.
Monday, January 7, 2008
BY PEDRO TOLEDO
Growing up, I proudly looked up to my older sister, who worked as the dental clinic manager at the largest community clinic in Northern California, La Clinica De La Raza.In those days, much as they do today, La Clinica ensured that children received quality preventative care as well as training on everyday oral health.
I remember watching Spanish-language videos on how to brush, floss and how to use red chewing plaque tablets. I stood in front of the mirror as she showed me how to angle my toothbrush and reach every tooth three times a day.In fact, preventative dental care was a standard for every clinic pediatric patient. La Clinica served as my dental home. High-quality dental care was always available.
In Sonoma County, community clinics have enrolled tens of thousands of low-income children into public health insurance products and worked tirelessly to ensure that all children have access to medical and dental care.Almost all low-income children in our community are enrolled in medical and dental insurance, but only a fraction of them are able to find a dentist willing to accept their insurance. Consequently, many low-income children in our community do not have a dental home. Low reimbursement rates from public insurance preclude many children from ever seeing a dentist to prevent the escalation of dental problems.In fact, the lack of access to preventative dentistry negatively impacts the oral health of our children in unprecedented ways.At school, children learn in pain, suffering needlessly from serious dental problems that could have easily been avoided. An estimated 3,000 children in our community suffer from tooth decay so severe that they require anesthesia to receive dental treatment.
These children must now undergo traumatic surgical procedures for oral health disease that could have been easily avoided through preventative dentistry. I find it shameful that the situation has deteriorated to this point. Medi-Cal covers hundreds, even thousands, of dollars for children to receive oral surgical care, but only pays private-practice dentists a few dollars to clean a child’s teeth once a year. Many low-income families have no choice but to wait until simple dental problems escalate before finding relief for their children.I received comprehensive dental care as a child and I believe that Sonoma County can provide the same level of care to all our children. Every child in Sonoma County should have a dental home – a place where he or she receives regular dental screenings, fluoride treatments, oral health education, and low-cost dental care. Pre-ventative dentistry is not a new concept and our children should not be suffering needlessly with dental pain. Recently, a pediatric oral surgery center opened its doors in Sonoma County. The surgery center will greatly improve the quality of life for thousands of children in our community who are in pain and require surgical procedures. However, pediatric surgery centers are only one piece of the solution to the oral health problem. We need to work collaboratively towards a comprehensive solution that guarantees all our children have a dental home.Redwood Community Health Coalition clinics operate 30 dental chairs throughout our county, and see over 40,000 dental visits annually. The dental community has shown a willingness to partner with us in meeting the needs of low-income children. Nearly 150 dental providers from our community will volunteer their dental services at RCHC clinics on Give Kids a Smile Day, which falls on Feb. 1. The community clinics, local dentists and other community leaders must continue to work together to leverage our resources to meet the needs of low-income children. Together we can develop a dental care delivery model that guarantees all children have a dental home. I welcome all concerned community members to work with RCHC and our collaborative partners to develop a comprehensive community plan for increasing access to preventative dentistry for low-income children.•••Pedro Toledo is director of Community and Government Relations for Redwood Community Health Coalition – the network of 16 community health centers in Sonoma, Marin, Napa and Yolo counties.
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