The SA Government hopes to cut waiting times from 18 months to one year.

Most South Australians have access to fluoridated water but the Government says it will look at extending it to Roxby Downs and Coober Pedy.

SA Health Minister John Hill says another aim is early identification of children with dental problems.

“We don’t obviously see them until they go to school through the School Dental Service so we want other health professionals who would be checking children to also check their teeth and then refer them to the School Dental Service so they can get early access,” he said.

The plan also recommends giving dentists access to portable equipment so they can provide simple treatment to people in nursing homes.

Opposition health spokesman Duncan McFetridge says the statistics on waiting times are only for fillings and the wait for other dental work can be much longer.

“According to the Government’s own figures last year, it was 18 months to wait for a filling, it was nearly three years if you wanted dentures and it was over two years if you want to see a dental specialist, so the waiting times are far too long,” he said.

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In the past six months, more than 1200 people have had their teeth checked.

Another 1400 are awaiting treatment.

Health Minister Kon Vatskalis says the waiting time has been reduced from four years to two.

“For the urgent cases they’ll be treated immediately,” he said.

“Other people they have to wait for specialists to come and they’re put on the waiting list so they can be looked after by specialists and that is manageable.

“It would be ideal not to have any waiting list but the reality is that we can’t because people have to go on a waiting list to wait for special treatment for a specialist to arrive to be treated.”

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Low-income families that are covered by Medical Assistance, Pennsylvania’s affiliate of Medicaid, have access to managed care programs that require the state to provide several dental providers. However, many dentists aren’t participating in the program because they won’t receive full reimbursement and children are still not receiving oral hygiene services. For example, from May 2009 to April 2010, only 26 percent of Pennsylvania dentists treated a patient who had Medicaid as their dental insurance provider. State representatives hope that future reimbursement plans will increase funding and the number of participating dentists. “We don’t have exact figures , but I can say the state is making great strides in improving the dental assistance portion of the Medicaid program,” said Monica R. Costlow, a senior policy analyst in Pennsylvania and co-author of the study.Ltd.
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Burnett was one of the estimated 1,000 patients that the nonprofit Texas Dental Association Smiles Foundation was expecting to treat in Williamson County on Friday and today.

The foundation had more than 40 dental chairs set up in Taylor High School’s gym Friday for one of the free dental clinics it has dubbed Texas Mission of Mercy. It is not accepting walk-in patients today.

More than 55 dentists have volunteered to provide about $500,000 worth of free dental services to people who needed fillings, extractions and partial dentures, foundation Director Traci Whitney said.

Most of the people were referred by health service organizations in Williamson County, Whitney said. Williamson County’s indigent health care program, which covers medical costs for low-income residents, does not include dental care.

More: http://www.statesman.com

Free dental services all day at North Olmsted practice

NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio – When financial times get tough, one of the first things families tend to give up is their dental care.

They offered up free dental services for free from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday. Nearly 100 people showed up and received about $15,000 in free care.

More: http://www.newsnet5.com

Free dental services for local veterans

Veteran’s Day may not be until November, but a local dentist is working to put bright smiles on our soldier’s faces now.

Hires Dental Care is providing free dental services to our veterans. Its part of a national effort called Dentistry from the Heart, which provides service to those in need.

More: http://abclocal.go.com

Cuts to health care for poor in greater Minn. hit hard

Administrators of the dental office say they can’t afford to do the work for free. They’re helping Lundmark explore other options, and they hope he may qualify for help from the Veterans Administration.

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Staff and volunteers of the Dakota Smiles program will treat children and young adults from birth to age 21 who have not seen a dentist for two years. No child will be turned away for inability to pay.

Hours are 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. It will be set up at First Lutheran Church, 327 S. Dakota Ave.

The program offers cleanings, preventive services, fillings and oral health education.

Childhood immunizations also may be offered. Parents are required to bring the child’s immunization record.

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“You have to choose the necessities,” said Snuggs, 26.

On Monday afternoon, though, she watched as her son Michael Hunsaker, 7, had his teeth checked at the Sacramento Native American Health Center on J Street.

Michael is covered by Denti-Cal, the dental arm of the state’s public insurance program, Medi-Cal.

Snuggs, a single mother and a student at Sacramento City College, is on Medi-Cal as well. But last July the state cut dental services for adults in a move that was expected to save $115 million.

Now, Snuggs is one of millions of California adults without dental insurance. Some had their Denti-Cal benefits taken away. Others are among the working poor who receive no dental benefits through their jobs.

They make up a population of Californians whose oral health – and overall health as a result – is at risk of a dangerous decline.

A variety of studies have found a correlation between oral infections and ailments such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In people with depressed immune systems, bacteria from oral infections can spread into the bloodstream.

“Dental disease often progresses slowly, so when people stop going to the dentist, they don’t get in trouble right away,” said Paul Glassman, director of community programs at University of the Pacific’s School of Dentistry.

“We’re sitting on a little bit of a ticking time bomb that’s going to manifest itself some years down the road.”

About 16 million adults in the state don’t have dental insurance, said Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California. They have to buy insurance or pay for services out of pocket.

Many, like Snuggs, don’t see either as a possibility.

Inability to pay for care will lead to more people ignoring cavities and oral infections until they need emergency treatment, Glassman said. It’s a big health risk, and it could also hurt the patient financially.

Treating an abscessed tooth at a dental office costs around $250. An emergency room visit for dental problems could cost thousands of dollars, said a Sacramento County doctor at a county Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday.

The Native American clinic is the only one in Sacramento right now offering full dental services. It charges adults on an income-based sliding scale but turns no one away in case of emergency, said director Britta Guerrero.

Four or five people with dental emergencies usually walk through its doors each day.

Patients often “show up needing three or more teeth pulled, or have one or more abscessed teeth,” Guerrero said.

Ron Brown, a glazer who lives in Rancho Cordova, has never been to the clinic. He wakes up every day with his mouth throbbing from three abscesses – molars that are rotting away – but says he can’t afford to get them fixed.

Denti-Cal still pays for adults with “emergency cases,” but the state defines that as extractions only, said Marty Keale, executive director of the Capitol Community Health Network.

Brown, 31, chooses to live with the pain.

“I don’t want to get them pulled out and lose all my molars,” he said.

He has little help coming on the federal level. Health care reform requires that all people up to age 21 have dental coverage and provides funding for oral health education, but it says nothing about coverage for adults.

The federal legislation could assist indirectly, by providing subsidies for overall health care coverage. That could conceivably free up more money for people to spend on their teeth.

But Richard Ragudo, 33, a Sacramento City College student who also runs a non-profit serving inner city youths, wonders how many low- or moderate-income adults would use this extra money for insurance.

If money weren’t an issue, Ragudo said, he would fix an infected molar, replace a missing tooth, repair his multiple chipped teeth and maybe splurge on a cleaning.

As things are, he has more basic worries.

“Will I be able to pay my phone bill to call my kids that I have every other week? Will I be able to afford materials for classes? It’s some real-life choices I’m having to make.”

For Emma Snuggs, her son’s oral health is a priority. It helps that Michael still has Denti-Cal, although coverage doesn’t always mean care for children, according to a study by Sacramento consulting firm Barbara Aved Associates.

Sacramento County children on Denti-Cal often have trouble just getting to the dentist for appointments – be it from lack of transportation or the fact that many families don’t know the importance of oral health, the study found.

At the same time, many dentists don’t take Denti-Cal patients because the program is not user-friendly and pays 40 percent of normal fees at best, Barbara Aved said.

Those offices that do take it can be overwhelmed by demand. After Snuggs reapplied for Medi-Cal last July, she had trouble getting Michael into the dental clinic where they were first referred.

They found the Native American clinic soon after. Now, Michael gets dental care almost every other week – “catch-up” after a year with no care at all.

For her own teeth, Snuggs uses traditional Native American treatments along with modern home care, and hopes she doesn’t develop any problems. She is making sure that Michael’s mouth is healthy before she starts paying for her own dental visits.

There, she sees no choice.

“My teeth come second to his,” Snuggs said. “My health comes second to his.”