Dental Care Lacking for Virginia Residents

Dental Care Lacking for Virginia Residents

Written by Dentistry Today
Friday, 17 August 2012 15:01

Virginians need better dental care.

People in the state don’t have access to dentists to receive the proper dental care, nor do they have enough dentists to provide the care, according to a study by two University of Virginia economists.

For many, cost is the main problem. The people who are least inclined to see a dentist are low-income residents that don’t have insurance or utilize low-cost public healthcare. In Virginia, Medicaid only includes dental care for emergency services.

Race and geography also played a part in the dental care people received. In the rural areas of the state, toward the west and south, people were less likely to receive dental care than the northern and eastern parts of the state.

Another problem is that about 15 percent of the people live in areas that are considered dental health professional shortage areas. An influx of dentists in these areas is sorely needed.

Terance Rephann of the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service and Tanya Wanchek of the School of Medicine put the study together.

Virginia residents still visit the dentist at a higher rate than the national average. It’s also important, however, for new ways to be created for more people to be able to visit the dentist on a regular basis.

Dental Company in Texas Duping Children Into Dental Treatment

Dental Company in Texas Duping Children Into Dental Treatment

Written by Dentistry Today
Monday, 20 August 2012 15:30

Police in Dallas are looking into an ongoing situation.

All About Dentistry, a Dallas dental clinic, is paying children $10 to perform dental drilling on them without notifying the children’s parents. The alleged recruiters are targeting an area where children gather during the summer and after school.

These illegal occurrences have happened six times in the last six months. The clinic conceded that it employs recruiters to bring in new Medicaid patients but won’t disclose the amount it pays them.

The receptionists implore the children to keep the dental visit a secret from their parents. In many of these cases, that isn’t problem.

The problem for All About Dentistry is that it’s illegal for this kind of dental visit to occur without a parent’s knowledge.

None of the records of the dental treatment have been produced at this point. The Medicaid records for one child, however, showed that $2,000 worth of dental bills came from All About Dentistry without a parent’s consent.

The Dallas Police Department continues to look into the allegations.