Ohio Health Care Slights Dentistry

In Ohio, with all of the media attention being expended on Health Care Reform, there has not been sufficient focus on the unmet needs for dental care.

It is estimated that unmet dental care needs are three times the medical care deficit.

Perhaps, because there are no immediate life-threatening issues the dental problems are ignored by healthcare policymakers

The Early and Periodic, ?screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Program de votes only  2% to 3%  of their resources to dental –but dentistry accounts for upwards of 20% of children’s health care needs

Asthma is typically cited as the most common childhood disease, yet it is five times less common than tooth decay.

 Insurance for general medical care is 2.5 times more prevalent than is insurance for dental care, yet attention to the issue of the uninsured tends to focus on medical care.

Four times as many Medicaid children attend a medical visit as a dental visit, and support services are less commonly available for dental care.