Problem with Dental Care Disparities in the United States and What Should be done about it
Introduction: The Problem A notable part of the concern over health care in the United States today includes dental health and the disparity between those who have adequate coverage and those who do not. Inequality is present in several forms in our society; unfortunately, some inequality goes left unchecked by federal, state, and local governments, as well as social institutions and economic structures, and this affects the unequal access to affordable and adequate dental health care. This paper seeks to explore some of the explanations of the vast inequalities that exist between those who have adequate dental coverage and those who do not, by: analyzing literature reviews, a theoretical analysis, and survey data. Much of the literature regarding the severity of this inequality recognizes that the problem has become quite severe. In her article “Dental Coverage Trends”, Helen Lippman asserts that the number of Americans with some type of dental health coverage stands at about 160 million (Lippman,2000) – a little more than 1 out of every 2 Americans have some sort of dental care coverage, however, not all those people with coverage are getting their needs met, despite being covered. In the article “Strap Him Down”, The Hastings Center Report (2001:24-6) describes the seriousness of the problem of being underinsured, as in the case of a three-year-old boy with “severely decayed and abscessed teeth caused by prolonged bottle feedings” who went to his dentist to have dental care administered. ... The family’s insurance companies [medical and dental] both refused full payment of the procedures and the medical insurance cited “they were not responsible for treatment involving the mouth or teeth”. ... This lack of institutional concern for individual’s well being is only compounded by the government’s lack of response to the problem. Not only are people with dental (and/or health) insurance devastated by a system that seems inefficient, but also are the poor, children, and minorities who have no dental insurance at all. ... writes: “The rate of untreated dental disease among low-income children aged 2 – 5 is almost 5 times that of high-income children. The rated of untreated dental disease among American Indian and Alaska Native children aged 2 to 4 years is 6 times that among White children. ... The problem of dental care disparity is also exacerbated by a failing public health system and a failing Medicaid program. Unfortunately, these are not the only failures with dental health care in the United States. Dental health care access and affordability is also a problem of socio-economic status (SES) since part-time, contingent, peripheral, and temporary workers are typically not extended the benefits of medical and/or dental insurance, and often these workers earn above the guidelines that would qualify them for any type of state subsidized insurance programs. The following literature reviews express similar sentiments represented here, as well as describe some of the causes of unequal access to adequate and affordable dental care in the United States.