State’s dentist shortage worsens
Too many people in North Carolina either can’t afford to go to the dentist or can’t find one in their community, health leaders warn, and the problem is likely to grow worse.
A decade after a lack of access to dental care was spotlighted as a top public health concern, major efforts have been made to boost the number of dentists practicing in North Carolina, particularly in rural areas that historically have suffered shortages.
But population growth is outpacing those strides, and in 2007 the state posted its first decline in the ratio of dentists to residents — a ratio that already was below the national average.
Part of the problem is a lack of federal funding. Medicare, the federal insurance for older Americans, doesn’t cover dental care. Medicaid, which covers poor children, reimburses at a rate that falls well below the expense of operating a clinic.
“I feel pretty frustrated about the dental situation,” said Adam Searing, a health advocate with the N.C. Justice Center. “It’s so important in overall health care, but it seems like the last thing people think about when they think about health reform.
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