The Kansas Health Foundation is planning a public campaign to combat an oral health crisis in the state, based on research and an emerging trend of concern focused on dental care.
The foundation states that 93 counties in the state have too few dentists to support their population and 13 have no dentists at all, according to the Kansas City Star. The news source notes that national statistics reveal most adults show signs of gum disease but less than two-thirds have visited a dentist within the past six months.
Reflecting a broader national trend, the Foundation also notes that there were about 17,500 visits to emergency rooms for dental problems in 2010, according to reports from hospitals. Seeking dental treatment at non-specialist care providers tends to add to the expense, research indicates, and reflects a lack of preventive care. Poor dental health can also lead or contribute to other health conditions.
School districts may find that it is less expensive to include dental insurance benefit coverage in their offerings to teachers than to exclude them. Many adults have difficulty affording treatment without insurance, and that lack commonly leads to greater costs later on, experts say.
