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There were 4.6 million children who didn’t receive dental care in 2008, according to a report by the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council.
The same report also stated that just 38% of senior citizens had some type of dental coverage in 2006.
There are many reasons why people don’t receive the insurance coverage they should. In order for this to change, according to the report, a few things need to happen. These measures include the way the funding and reimbursement is set up and the training for doctors and all dental personnel in the way they check for signs for oral diseases. The report claimed that administrative, regulatory and educational practices also need to be improved.
Another issue is the location in which some people live. There aren’t enough dentists in some parts of the country, which is backed up by the fact that about 33.3 million Americans live areas where an infusion of dentists is necessary.
Children are required to receive all dental benefits if they are enrolled in Children’s Health Insurance Program or Medicaid, but the same doesn’t go for adults. Dental coverage isn’t necessarily included for adult Medicaid patients. State laws need to be changed to accommodate more patients, according to the report.
Another issue is the variance of laws regarding coverage in different states. It limits the way a dentist can treat a patient in one state compared to another.
This report, “Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations,” was put together by Frederick Rivara (Chair), Paul C. Erwin, Caswell Evans, Jr., Theodore G. Ganiats, Shelly Gehshan, Kathy Voigt Geurink, Paul Glassman, Jane Perkins, Margaret A. Potter, Renee Samelson, Phyllis Sharps, Linda H. Southward, Maria Rosa Watson, Barbara Wolfe, and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and the National Research Council of the National Academies.
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