Newshour Report on US Dental Care

Anyone with a toothache in Dayton, Ohio, and the surrounding areas will watch these videos with a sigh of relief that there are sufficient dentists in our area to provide the care that people want to have.

Unfortunatly, some areas simply do not have enough dentists.  Now, we know that most peopleut off needed care because they don't like the dentist.  But sometimes they discover that a dental visit could make a lot of sense.

This is an important report that should receive wider distribution.  The demand for dentists is insufficient in some areas to attract  new dentists.  So some rural areas are supported by allowing new dentists to repay school tuition debt.

States set Medicaid fees at a levels that reduce the number of dentists who can participate so the costs of the program do not exceed State health care budgetary limits.

Seeking dental care only when prompted by pain leads to drastic and expensive measures.

Remote areas in Alaska have received permission to have Mid Level Providers or Dental Therapists provide emergency dental care for tribal members.