2003 National Dental Hygiene
Month Spotlights Access to Oral Health Care
Chicago—Sept. 22, 2003—
October is National Dental Hygiene Month, and in observance the
American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) has designated
access to oral health care the focus for 2003.
In addition to building public awareness
of this national crisis, ADHA supports dental hygienists across
the country who are doing their part to increase access and educate
the public about oral health.
Lack of access to oral health care is a problem
affecting millions of Americans. In 2000, more than 97 million people
in the U.S. went without an oral health visit. In the same year,
more than 150 million Americans, 55 percent of the population, had
no dental insurance. Finally, in a government report from 2001,
more than 31 million people lived in areas where there was less
than one full-time dentist for a population of 4,000 to 5,000 people.
“Federal government data clearly reveal
the gravity of this public health issue,” said Tammi O. Byrd,
ADHA president. “But when you pair these figures with recent
research showing periodontal (gum) disease is a potential risk factor
for heart and lung disease; diabetes; premature, low-birth weight
babies and a number of other systemic diseases, it shifts from a
simple statistic to a devastating reality.”
Considering the connection between oral health
and overall health, it is clear why access to oral health care is
imperative to improving total health for all Americans. Yet as this
national crisis remains widely unknown by the general public, three
significant barriers to access remain unchanged.
Bureaucratic barriers, such as limitations
on the practice settings in which dental hygienists can provide
care, contribute significantly to the access crisis. If dental hygienists
could provide care without these restrictions, more people could
receive preventive care in a larger variety of settings, hopefully
leading to fewer oral health problems and restorative procedures.
To make preventive oral health services affordable,
dental hygienists must be reimbursed directly by Medicaid and third-party
payers so they can afford to continue to provide services to the
underserved and uninsured. Economic barriers like this uphold the
disparities in the U.S. health care delivery system.
Legal barriers, such as state laws and regulations,
limit access by imposing restrictive supervision requirements on
dental hygienists. Licensed dental hygienists, by virtue of their
comprehensive education and clinical preparation, are well prepared
to deliver preventive oral health care services to the public, safely
and effectively, independent of dental supervision.
“ADHA recommends several solutions
to the access-to-care issue,” said Byrd. “However, the
first step is to educate the public on the importance of oral health.
We hope that, in turn, this knowledge encourages community involvement
to address the barriers to care those in need.”
ADHA is the largest national organization
representing the professional interests of the more than 120,000
dental hygienists across the country. Dental hygienists are preventive
oral health professionals, licensed in dental hygiene, who provide
educational, clinical and therapeutic services that support the
total health through the promotion of optimal oral health. For more
information about oral health, visit ADHA at http://www.adha.org.
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Editor’s Note:
For further information about National Dental Hygiene Month,
to schedule an interview with a registered dental hygienist, or
to learn more about the local contributions of dental hygienists
across the U.S. as part of the solution to the access to oral health
care crisis, please contact ADHA Public Relations, 312-440-8943
or media@adha.net.
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