Dental Care Remains A Major Unmet Health Need, Pew Reports

According to a new analysis from the Pew Charitable Trust, dental care is one of the greatest unmet health needs in the United States. And Pew’s dental campaign asserts that communities of color experience the greatest disparities in oral health. Not only are racially diverse children less likely than white children to see a dentist and receive preventive care, they are also less likely to have sealants on their permanent teeth and are at increased risk of dental caries. Among adults, individuals of color have higher rates of untreated caries and are more likely to experience tooth loss than whites.

These data, the Pew Charitable Trust explains, indicate that the dental care delivery system in the US is failing to support the nation’s oral health. The trust hopes to use its dental campaign to improve access to care by increasing the number of dental providers in target areas and broadening the scope of preventive dental services.

From Dimensions of Dental Hygiene. July 2016;14(07):15.