Americans Suffer in Dental Pain for Lack of Dental Care

Millions of Americans are suffering with dental problems and can't get dental care because of dentistry's high costs and a dentist shortage in some communities, according to a W.K. Kellogg survey.

"Forty-one percent of survey respondents report that they or someone in their household has put off dental care in the last twelve months because of cost," according to "The Dental Access Gap - Findings from a National Survey," conducted by Lake Research Partners for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. (Oct. 4, 2011)

The most likely to put off dental work due to costs are Latinos, the non-dental-insured, individuals earning less than $30,000 and those with high school diplomas or less. However, 46 percent of individuals with dental insurance put off dental care because of cost.

Further, residents of the West South Central region (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas) and individuals 65 years and older are most likely to lack dental insurance.

Most Americans support Dental Therapists as a way to close the dental gap because without dental care, many adults and children live in pain, miss school or work, and in extreme cases, face life-threatening emergencies.

Twelve-year-old Deamonte Driver died in 2007 when a tooth infection traveled to his brain after two dozen dentists refused to treat him because he was poor and on Medicaid. Two weeks in a hospital emergency room and $250,000 couldn't save his life.

A 24-year-old Cincinnati man died from a tooth infection in September because he couldn't afford to have his infected wisdom tooth removed or the medication an Emergency Room doctor prescribed.

According to Kellogg: "Licensed dental practitioners have been providing routine dental care in Alaska since 2005 and in over 50 countries for nearly a century. Licensed dental practitioners work under the supervision of dentists in locations where there is less access to dental care. They received 3,000 hours of training to provide routine care like cleanings and fillings. A number of states are currently considering legislation that would allow for the training of licensed dental therapists. The findings from this survey suggest that such legislation would have public appeal."

The problem is that rich and politically powerful organized dental unions such as the American Dental Association, the Academy of General Dentistry and its constituent groups lobby legislators to oppose Dental Therapists because it infringes upon dentists' lucrative monopoly.

However, Alaska's Dental Therapists have increased access to preventive and restorative oral healthcare for over 35,000 citizens in Alaska's remote, rural communities.

An October 2010 by RTI International of Research Triangle Park, NC, found that dental therapists practicing in Alaska provide safe, competent and appropriate dental care.