Our forgotten health crisis

Living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, it would be easy to think that access to dental care isn’t a problem here at home.

But sadly, that’s not the case. While health-care debate rages on here in the United States, dental care has been conspicuously absent from the discussion.

The statistics are sobering. Last year, 100 million Americans didn’t visit a dentist. More than 47 million people live in places where it is difficult to access dental care. And the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that there are nearly 4,600 dental health professional shortage areas in the nation.

It’s sad but not surprising that when times get tough — as they did for so many during the great recession — people put off visits to the dentist. For far too many Americans, dentistry is a luxury and not a priority. Patients who are struggling financially have put off regular dental care and are living with infection and pain. And it’s impacting their health and quality of life.

What happens when people don’t have a regular dentist? They turn to our nation’s hospitals when an emergency strikes. In April 2014, a new analysis from Rutgers University found the use of emergency departments for dental care — especially by young adults in low-income communities — poses a huge challenge for our nation.

For me, that eye-opening trip to Haiti is what spurred me to take on a leadership role in Aspen Dental’s Healthy Mouth Movement, a community-giving initiative designed to deliver free dental care to thousands of people in need in communities across the United States and oral health education to millions more.

Through the Healthy Mouth Movement, dentists and team members from Aspen Dental practices across 27 states devoted time to providing much-needed dental care to those who need it most — free of charge, no questions asked. And MouthMobile, a fully equipped dental office on wheels, went directly into communities to not only provide free service but also raise awareness.

Along this journey, the need I’ve seen and patients I’ve met continue to reinforce for me the need for cooperation from both the public and private sectors.

Dentistry is a generous profession. There are myriad ways to give back, whether through individual volunteer efforts or through great organizations such as Missions of Mercy and the American Dental Association’s Give Kids a Smile program. By working together, we can make a difference.

This article was published in today Greater New York Dental Meeting edition, Vol. 9, No. 3, Dec. 2, 2014 issue.