Oct 7 2011
Meanwhile, a survey finds that Americans are open to new options for dental care to help address the high costs and shortage issues.
The Fiscal Times: The Hidden Costs Of Dental Neglect
But rich, poor, or somewhere in between, regular dental care has declined as out-of-pocket costs have risen during the Great Recession. But few people know that good dental care can be the key to good overall health. According to the Mayo Clinic, a full menu of diseases can result from poor dental care, including endocarditis (an infection of the inner lining of the heart), cardiovascular disease (clogged arteries and stroke may be linked to oral bacteria), and premature birth and low birth weight babies, to name a few (Merlino, 10/6).
Kaiser Health News: Capsules: Poll: Americans Receptive To New Options For Affordable Dental Care
More than 52 million people live in 4,675 federally qualified dental shortage areas where many face obstacles to receiving care because of the high cost of dental services, a shortage of dentists and a lack of dental insurance coverage. It would take 10,242 new practitioners to meet their dental needs, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration (Marcy, 10/5).
 This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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