THE GLOBE'S coverage of the dental crisis in Massachusetts among low-income adults was excellent ("Dental benefits widen, waiting lines grow," Page A1, Aug. 7), but there is another part of the story: a lack of dental care for poor children.
Like the adults profiled in the story, children from low-income families are also less likely than affluent children to receive adequate dental care, and the problem is exacerbated by private caregivers who decline to offer treatment for kids receiving Medicaid assistance. Nationwide, fewer than 20 percent of dentists treat Medicaid kids.
As an educator and pediatric dentist, I have seen first-hand the impact of poor dental health among younger patients. Chronic tooth decay in young children can lead to a variety of other health and developmental challenges including pain, poor nutrition, distraction from learning, and other activities.
Raising Medicaid reimbursement rates is a good first step toward increasing access to care, but it doesn't address issues on the patient side of the equation.
Much more needs to be done to educate parents about dental disease. Effective treatment for the nation's poorest patients will require innovative approaches from the dental community, policy makers, social workers, and others involved in the dental care of children and adults alike.
DR. STEVEN ADAIR
Nashville
The writer is chief dental officer of FORBA Dental Management, which manages dental clinics in Massachusetts for children whose families receive Medicaid.
