NM Christmas Wish: More Trips to the Dentist?

from the New Mexico News Connection - A statewide news service for New Mexico
Albuquerque - Persistent barriers to dental health care for low-income children are cited in a new government report. Shelly Gehshan, director of the Pew Children's Dental Campaign, says those obstacles can be particularly hard to overcome in rural states like New Mexico.  What New Mexico children need for Christmas is access to dental health care. The report from the Government Accountability Office  (GAO) has found persistent barriers that prevent millions of low-income children from seeing a dentist to get proper care. Gehshan calls it the biggest unmet need among children that can lead to other health problems...and even affect their education, "If you're a kid who's in school and you have a toothache, you can't eat, you can't smile, you won't play happily. You're not going to learn very well."

Gehshan suggests that fluoridated water and sealant programs for children are great ways for states to prevent serious dental problems down the line...and much more expensive care later in life, which taxpayers often end up paying for through Medicaid.

The GAO says New Mexico has one of the highest rates of children eligible for dental care through Medicaid who actually visit the dentist... although the rate is still less than half of all eligible children. Gehshan explains part of the problem is a lack of access in rural areas, "There may not be anyone that a family can drive to, even if they're willing to drive long distances. So, it's a very serious problem."

Gehshan points out that her organization is encouraging more states to authorize new types of dental providers, like dental therapists, comparable to nurse practitioners in the health care field. They can perform a variety of services, including filling cavities. You can view The GAO report at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d1196.pdf
Eric Mack reporting, nmnc@newsservice.org

Comments

[Glenn Koehm]

This is basically a matter of choosing a way for dental services to be accessible to many. There have been efforts by volunteers to go up mountains and traverse streams just to proceed with their medical-dental missions. Maybe the same can be done here.

[Jeriel Martinez]

It's a bit late to post here, but allow me to share something that crossed my mind as I read through this post. Everyone has to have access to medical and dental facilities. If the local government would support a project that would help its citizens to have a better access to these kinds of facilities, they could expect that they'll be a lot more healthy.