It seems that the importance of oral health care is often underestimated. Many health insurance plans do not cover dental issues, and patients with low-income cannot afford expensive services. Oral care should be taken more seriously as it plays an essential role in medicine and may influence people’s general health. This paper raises the issue of oral care and its lack of availability among the vulnerable population. Possible solutions to the problem, as well as the best strategy, will also be discussed.
Oral health exerts a significant impact on overall health. However, there is a large number of people in the USA as well as all around the world who cannot afford essential oral health services. The reason why many patients in America do not have dental insurance is that Medicare, one of the USA’s largest health insurance programs, “does not cover dental benefits” (Oakes and Monopoli). According to the authors, “two-thirds of Medicare recipients do not have dental coverage” (Oakes and Monopoli). In this situation, disadvantaged individuals, such as low-income households, ethnic minorities, and children from needy families, are affected the most because they cannot afford oral health services. Hence, in order to avoid long term negative impacts on the healthcare system, access to oral medicine, particularly among vulnerable groups, should be improved.
The first step to facilitate access to dental medicine is to develop new regulations or to make amendments to them. This will help to determine “who may provide oral health care, how it may be provided, and where” (Committee on Oral Health Access to Services 2). The changes may lead to an improvement in the current healthcare legislation and provide more citizens with dental insurance.
The reason why many Americans do not have this type of insurance may also lie in the disconnection between the American health care system elements. Oral health care should not be separated from other health care systems as it restricts access to dental medicine. The right strategy may be to train and educate other practitioners so that they could detect dental disorders and take preventive measures. This practice might lower the risk of developing severe dental issues when a patient needs medical intervention and make oral health care more available for all population groups.
The problem is also connected with the lack of information in the field. Committee on Oral Health Access to Services “identified a deficiency in the collection, analysis, and use of data related to oral health” (3). The problem can be solved if federal agencies, congress, and private organizations support research in this area. This will help to collect more information about the ways dental health care can be delivered to vulnerable populations more effectively and develop new methods and technologies in dentistry.
Telemedicine may be regarded as one of the possible ways to solve the problem. In most cases, patients cannot afford dental services because of their high cost. Telemedicine consultations may become a cheaper alternative to traditional dentist visits. The practice may allow disadvantaged people or those who live in rural areas to cut down the expenses on dentistry. Estai et al. believe that “this type of dental provider would need significantly less time and fewer resources compared with training a dentist” (198). It should be noted that telemedicine cannot completely substitute oral health care as its uses are restricted to a limited number of cases. As such, this practice can only be used for preventive purposes, in conducting regular examinations, and giving consultations. It is evident that serious dental issues and disorders cannot be treated with the help of telemedicine, as they may require medical intervention.
Adequate government funding for dentistry might be one of the best strategies to make oral health care more accessible. Ramji and Quiñonez state that dentistry demands more government investment, especially among patients with low income, low levels of education, and those who do not have dental insurance coverage. Even after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, many Americans cannot afford dental treatment due to financial barriers (Vujicic et al. 2176). The problem is that Medicaid covers oral health services only for children, leaving adults without compulsory dental insurance. As a result, a large number of adults fail to receive an optional benefit because of the lack of money. The research conducted by Vujicic et al. has shown that people face financial barriers to oral care more than to any other health care (2178). That is why the government should allocate more money to this medical field and provide citizens with affordable insurance.
All in all, it is important that all citizens have access to dental health care. Overall health is closely connected with oral health, and a poor state of the last one may lead to various diseases, such as diabetes or heart conditions. The problem with the deficiency of oral health care availability has certain solutions that could improve the current state of affairs. The increase in government expenditures on dentistry appears to be one of the most effective approaches to reducing the level of patients without oral health care insurance.
Works Cited
Committee on Oral Health Access to Services (U.S.). “Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations.” National Academies Press, 2011.
Estai, Mohamed, Estie Kruger, and Marc Tennant. “Role of Telemedicine and Mid‐Level Dental Providers in Expanding Dental‐Care Access: Potential Application in Rural Australia.” International Dental Journal, vol. 66, no. 4, 2016, pp. 195-200, doi.org/10.1111/idj.12217.
Oakes, Diane, and Michael Monopoli. “Medicare Dental Benefit Will Improve Health and Reduce Health Care Costs.” Health Affairs, 2019.
Ramji, Sabrina, and Carlos Quiñonez. “Government Spending on Dental Care: Is It a Public Priority?.” Journal of public health dentistry, vol. 72, no. 3, 2012, pp. 246-51, doi:10.1111/j.1752-7325.2012.00324.x.
Vujicic, Marko, Thomas Buchmueller, and Rachel Klein. “Dental Care Presents the Highest Level of Financial Barriers, Compared to Other Types of Health Care Services.” Health Affairs, vol. 35, no. 12, 2016, pp. 2176-2182.