The statistics mentioned above are just a few of the many facts that point toward the need for quality dental care. Another factor that points toward the necessity of easily accessible dental care is the fact that the number of dental related emergency room visits in the United States rose from 1.1 million in 2000 to 2.1 million in 2010 (Wall and Nasseh). Many of these visits result in minimal care, as emergency rooms are not able, nor prepared to handle dental related issues. Additionally, these dental related visits put unnecessary stress on emergency rooms and can delay care of other more seriously injured patients. The patients with dental emergencies still need to see a dentist, but barriers to care prevent some of them from accessing the care they need from a dental office or clinic. About 181 million Americans will not visit a dentist this year (Gift, Reisine, and Larach). And whether due to …show more content…
Based on my Christian faith, I realize that Christians are called to serve the needs of disadvantaged people, which in this case would be serving the oral health needs of the poor and minorities. In Deuteronomy 15:11, the Israelites are instructed on this very point when the LORD says to them, “For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor.”’ Additionally, Paul instructs us that, “those who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves” (Romans 15:1). As a healthcare provider, I will be extremely well off when compared to the constituents of both my practice and community. Therefore, taking Paul’s words to heart, and the commandmants of the LORD, I need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, his disciples, and the church in helping the poor ascertain affordable dental
As I started my new journey of becoming a dental hygienist, I came into the program with no background of dental. I came into this program with an open mind and willing to embrace new concepts as well as develop new skills. During my time at the Canadian Academy of Dental Hygiene (CADH), I learned that as a dental hygienist that I am committed to promoting and helping each individual achieve their optimal oral health goals. In support of my client’s goals, I may assume any or all of the roles included in the dental hygiene scope of practice. My goal throughout this program was to help my clients achieve their optimal oral health goals through education, health promotion and providing preventive and clinical therapy.
Professionalism in the dental profession refers to our responsibilities and obligations that exists throughout our entire dental career. “Professional competence is the habitual and judicious use of communication, knowledge, technical skills, clinical reasoning, emotions, values and reflection in daily practice for the benefit of the individual and community being served (Kirk, 2007).” A health professional must be able to regulate their own behavior and comply with a code of ethics in professional practice. Fundamental principles of professionalism include primacy of patient welfare, social justice and patient autonomy (Kirk, 2007).
It is an assumption by many that Canada has one of the best healthcare systems in the world. But do they really? There are numerous health services in Canada which should be part of the universal care nonetheless are not. These include but are not limited to: dental care, vision care, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and prescription drug coverage. This report will solely focus on why basic dental care should be a part of the Canadian universal healthcare. Dental care is predominantly delivered in the private sector on a fee-for-service basis, with approximately 62.6% of Canadians paying for care through employment-based insurance and 31.9% through out-of-pocket expenditures and only a small amount of the Canadians, 5.5%, are qualified for public funding through government assistance programmes (Ramraj and Quinonez, 2012). It was seen that by 2009, dental coverage affordability became a problem not just for the low income families but also impacted middle-income earners as a result of their lack of, or decreased access to comprehensive dental insurance (Ramraj, 2013). It is stated by the World Health Organization that universal health care coverage should reassure access to necessary care and protect patients from financial hardship, and that the governments are obligated to
I am fortunate that my experiences have made me aware of these things so that when I do return to these communities as a dentist, I can not only better serve my patients as a provider, but I can also be a leading advocate for the change that is so desperately needed by the individuals in these communities. As I continue along my career path in dentistry, I intend to keep volunteering in dental clinics in underserved communities as well as participating in formal organizations such as Saving Smiles to more effectively address these issues as well as enhance my understanding of the dental field. Perhaps while I serve in these communities, I can inspire and support future health professionals that will continue to advance the incredible changes that our health fields are currently
Dental carries is one of the most common oral diseases in the world, and it often goes untreated due to the expense of treatment. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 60 to 90 percent of school aged children throughout the world suffer from untreated dental carries. Ethnic minorities, the poor, the elderly, and those who are mentally and/or physically disabled are other disparities who also suffer from untreated dental caries (Alcorn & Rogo; 2012). Looking for a way to solve the epidemic of dental caries by providing affordable treatment, silver diamine fluoride (SDF), also known as the “silver fluoride bullet,” was created. Claiming to be both affordable and effective, SDF could be the answer to low cost carries treatment the world has been searching for. The purpose of this paper is to research the efficacy of silver diamine fluoride in comparison to sodium fluoride varnish. Our PICO question is: In a patient with dentinal caries, will the use of silver diamine fluoride compared to sodium fluoride varnish, be more effective at arresting caries?
Imagine having to spend half your fortune on correcting your teeth.”Tooth decay was a perennial national problem that meant a mouthful of silver for patients, and for dentists a pocketful of gold.” (Wallis, 17) If patients don’t take care of their teeth, many issues can start to appear later in their life. Some patients are not knowledgeable of the correct procedures toward keeping a healthy smile. In order to keep a healthy smile patients must be better informed about the knowledge to achieve that success and also maintain.
I can remember being a little boy sitting at the piano in church, listening to the preacher talk of how Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, which symbolizes the idea that we are here to serve. That message profoundly resonated with me throughout life. It was not until I began accompanying my grandmother to her multiple dental visits that I was able to see how I could put this calling of service into action. I saw firsthand the significant positive impact my grandmother’s dentist was able to make in her life, which encouraged me to want to learn about the field of dentistry. I then started researching dental health and learning of the importance of oral healthcare and how it affects the entire body. I then began to learn of how patient access to proper dental care was limited because of several factors such as, financial barriers, transportation, and dental fear, especially in the underserved minority communities. Given the shortage of black dentists, I realized I could make a positive difference by being an inspiration to those in the community, as well as serve in a professional career that would provide needed healthcare to the community. This is when I began to develop such a strong passion for
The economy plays an important factor of what people want to spend their money on. Dental/ oral health care is important to most people in today’s today world. Since the dental/ oral health industry is very big there are many trends that are arising such as the cost of dental care increase or decreasing, market of the industry and lastly global dental industry.
It has often been seen that certain dentist are in the field for their own personal gain by obtaining as much money as they can out of a patient. This can be a problem in that a patient may not be able to afford basic dental care if their insurance increases their rate. Dr. Pham has stated that when obtaining inventory that will help perform procedures like fillings, the company often gives dentist a range to which they can charge the patient. Meaning, if dentist wanted to, they could charge the minimum and break even, or charge the maximum and gain a huge surplus. If dentist were only in this physician to obtain as much money they could, patients wouldn’t be able to afford the basic necessities. Thus, dentist would start to lose patients due to not being financially stable to obtain such services. This would create a division on patients who can afford such health cares and those who cannot. As a result, creating your own personal financial gain through the dental field is in no way a means to over-diagnose and over treat a patient it they do not need the services and or can not afford
o Please describe a time when you performed a thorough head, neck and oral exam and the findings had a significant impact on how you proceeded with the dental hygiene process of care. Annette was performing her usual head, neck, and oral exam on a patient and found an enlarged thyroid. She recommended to the patient that she go see her primary care physician to get a better diagnosis. The patient went to her primary care physician and was told there was probably nothing. Later, the patient returned to the dental office and saw Annette and told her what the physician said.
In the Dental Hygiene field, many challenges come about every day and during different situations. Every day there are new challenges and unusual situations that occur in the dental field, but one challenge that continues to come about and has been a big dispute over the years is the ability to provide beneficial information about oral health care for the underprivileged. For the individuals that are not fortunate enough to pay to have services done in the dental office, lack the knowledge of how important good oral health care is. They do not receive the one on one conversations explaining the significance of taking care of your teeth and gums that the patients who can afford to make appointments and receive essential services do. That
(1) LOW INCOME AND LACK OF INSURANCE: A number of studies have linked poor oral health with low socioeconomic status. Affordability is identified as major challenge in accessing dental care. “For instance, 17.3 per cent of the whole population (i.e., approximately
Do you ever think that just a toothache could kill you? That was the case for the twelve year old boy named Deamonte Driver from Maryland. (Otto par.1) It was a $80 dollar extraction that could have saved this young child’s life. (Otto par.2) If his mother and him had dental insurance that procedure would have been taking care of with little to no cost. (Otto par.3) If mother had not been focused on getting a dentist for his brother who had six rotten teeth. (Otto par.6) Also she didn’t want to pay for what she thought was a needless procedure. Deamonte’s death and ultimate cost of his care, which could have totaled more than $250,000. (Otto par.8) The mother obviously did not know how important teeth are to people’s overall health. In America about 108 million people lack dental insurance as of only about 44 million people having dental insurance. (Otto par.4) When there are many dental insurance plans the are low in cost, yet effective and imperative to all. ( Klapp par.2) People need to have dental insurance due to how it effects overall health, and there are many different types of dental insurance that are low in cost.
... three quarters of all public expenditures for dental care in Canada is associated with treatment in a private dental facilities, where public insurance is billed as a third-party payer (9). However, only 30% of dentists deal with public insurance (8). The delivery method causes problems between dental service providers and public insurance. Public vs. private setting for dental care is also important to consider due to the disparity that exist with oral health and its access. Low-income and high-risk children (i.e. Aboriginal children) are unable to acquire dental care suffering medically and socially since they cannot afford the cost. Additionally seniors, individuals in long-term care, the homeless etc. are also in this category. Thus, sometimes delivering would be more appropriate in private dental setting, while in others, a public setting would be more ideal.
Maintaining oral health is extremely important not only for your mouth, but for your overall health (Wallace, Taylor, Wallace & Cockrell, 2010). Poor oral health impacts a person’s quality of life and general health, It causes pain which could result in poor nutrition (Griffin, Jones, Brunson, Griffin & Bailey, 2012). The residents at Menarock aged care have a private dentist from Alpha dental that visits the facility when prompted, although some resident’s families take them to their own family dental professional.