Dentaltown New Grad 2013 - (Page 54)

access to care feature Students and community-based dentistry bridge the oral health-care gap. by Nicole Hayes When more residents in a community lack oral health services than those who are regularly served, there is a silent epidemic. Oral health professionals invest in treatment for patients who cannot afford preventive care in order to improve access to care. In Alabama, 65 of 67 counties suffer from unmet oral health needs. The numbers of practicing health providers are dwindling as the population that cannot afford health care is growing. Add to this the rural communities confronting long travel distances to dental offices for routine or emergency oral health services, and preventive oral health is non-existent. Those circumstances tell the story behind the index from Alabama’s Office of Primary Care and Rural Health1 on the paucity of dental health services. The bleak and unmet needs render the state an oral health crisis zone. According to this 2011 data, more than 260 additional dentists are needed to bridge gaps. Time, resources and distance are also contributors to this issue. Consider Alabama a microcosmic glimpse of a national problem. In a 2007 report,2 the U.S. Surgeon General identified “special care” communities inhabited by individuals who suffer high rates of dental disease, disproportionate among those with 1. 2. 54 low incomes or from rural, urban and frontier communities. Lack of access to dental care not only leads to tooth loss and other dental diseases, it is a major cause of preventable diseases with impact beyond oral health, as the mouth is considered the gateway to the entire body. Meet Monique Trice, a third-year student at the University of Louisville School of Dentistry. Upon graduation, Trice vows to return home to Enterprise, Alabama, to bridge gaps and eradicate the “dental desert” in her community. She will bring with her a deeper understanding of the hurdles of access that her community confronts. Trice, 24, says she already has envisioned her own dental studio. Enterprise, a community of 27,000, 80 miles south of Monique Trice Montgomery, is predominantly white and blue collar. Many residents rely on Medicaid, which often does not cover the full range of oral health services. http://www.adph.org/publications/assets/2011annrpt.pdf www.adea.org/policy_advocacy/federal_legislative_regulatory_resources/Pages/ADEAPolicyStatementonHealthCareReform.aspx NEW GRADS » dentaltown.com http://www.adph.org/publications/assets/2011annrpt.pdf http://www.adea.org/policy_advocacy/federal_legislative_regulatory_resources/Pages/ADEAPolicyStatementonHealthCareReform.aspx http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown New Grad 2013

Howard Speaks: Informed Decisions
Professional Courtesy: So You Want to Be Successful? Be Professional
Continuing Education Update: Never Stop Learning
After Going Through Dental School, What Advice Would You Give Students?
Checklist for Reviewing an Associate’s Work
You Should Know: Townie Meeting
Office Visit: Resident On Call
Office Visit: In His Element
Are You Prepared to Begin Practicing Dentistry?
Three Stages of a Dental Career
What You Need to Know About Student Debt Relief
Gain an Early Financial Edge
Pregnancy and Employment in the Dental Practice
Personal Protective Equipment
Win Patient Loyalty
Denture Stabilization with Small-diameter Implants
Partnerships: A Match Made in Heaven or a Pathway to Financial Hell
Taking Oral Health Care Education from the Classroom to the Clinic
Continuing Education: Nine Lessons from the Real World

Dentaltown New Grad 2013