Washington's Dental System Let's Too Many Down

 Interesting column by Anita Rodriguez of Stanwood, Washington, who is a dental hygienist active with the Washington Dental Access Campaign.

According to the Institute of Medicine, the U.S. dental care system fails one-third of all Americans – more than 100 million children and adults. I don’t know what the corresponding failure rate is for Washington state, but as a licensed dental hygienist who’s practiced here for 37 years, I can tell you this: It’s bad.
Despite the best efforts of hard-working dental professionals, too many Washingtonians – including those who are elderly, low-income, have special needs or live in rural areas – are not getting the dental care they need when they need it.