Institute of Medicine report condemns dental care in USA

July 13, 2011

Millions Aren't Getting The Right Dental Care

Millions of Americans aren't getting the dental care they need, according to a

new report from the Institute of Medicine.

The reasons for this lack of access to care are multi-fold, and include

cultural, economic and geographic factors. About 33.3 million people live in

areas where there are shortages of dental professionals, and in 2008, 4.6

million children went without dental care because it was too expensive,

according to the report.

" The consequences of insufficient access to oral health care and resultant poor

oral health -- at both the individual and population levels -- are

far-reaching, " Frederick Rivara, chair of the IOC committee that wrote the

report and the chair of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of

Medicine in Seattle, said in a statement. " As the nation struggles to address

the larger systemic issues of access to health care, we need to ensure that oral

health is recognized as a basic component of overall health. "

Cavities and gum disease are not the only health risks that come from not

getting regular dental care -- bad oral health increases the risk of heart

disease, diabetes and respiratory disease, the report said.

The report calls for state changes to the way dental hygienists, assistants and

professionals practice and train in order to give the best access to dental care

for their communities.

For example, increasing recruitment of dental students from low-income, minority

or rural communities could help increase the number of people serving in those

places, Kaiser Health News reported.

Expanding dental coverage to adults under Medicaid (only kids are currently

covered by Medicaid for dental) could also increase the number of people who get

regular checkups, the report said.

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....And because dental care usually isn't provided as part of a standard health

insurance package, even under Medicare, many Americans simply can't afford it.

In 2008, 4.6 million kids skipped their dental checkups because their families

couldn't pay, and in 2006, only 38 percent of retirees had dental coverage.

But a new report from the Institute of Medicine has some ideas on how to improve

dental access, including recruiting more dental students from minority,

low-income and rural populations to serve the neediest areas. The IOM also

recommends investigating ways to expand Medicaid dental coverage for adults

(Medicaid currently only requires dental coverage for kids) and increasing

reimbursement rates for providers.

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