A recent journal article in Health Affairs by Nadereh Pourat, the Center’s director of research, garnered attention for its headline that one-quarter of Californian children have never seen a dentist. Beneath that statistic, however, are equally disturbing data about dental health inequities. Pourat and her co-author found that even with publically-funded insurance, low-income minority children were less likely to get regular dental care. Here Pourat discusses some of the reasons why, how health care reform may affect the situation, as well as what to do about the shortage of dentists in low-income communities.
Publically-insured kids go longer between dental visits. Why?
Public programs have made great strides in getting kids to see the dentist, but not as frequently as private insurance. The lower frequency may be because fewer dentists participate in public programs and these programs pay lower fees than private insurance. Parents may also not fully understand the importance of regular visits or have difficulties taking time-off from work to take their children for visits.
Read more