Filling Need for Dental Care

Back from vacation. Thanks to Samantha Link, our intern, for filling in.
Dennis Fitzpatrick had 17 cavities by the time he arrived at the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine's special care center seven years ago. Fitzpatrick, 27, who suffers from cerebral palsy, had regular checkups throughout childhood, but his dental decay had progressed so far, four of his teeth had to be removed.

Because of his disability, other dentists were nervous about treating Fitzpatrick. They couldn't accommodate his wheelchair, so he was placed in a dental chair, which failed to hold him securely. His difficulty communicating and the sounds he made during episodes of reflux prompted dentists to wonder if he was choking.

States Drastically Cut Medicaid Dental Care

WASHINGTON -- Facing tough fiscal times, states across the country are cutting a vitally important, but often overlooked, area of medical insurance for their low-income residents: dental care.
The cuts have left many poor people with few options to pay for services such as teeth cleanings, fillings and dentures. States that have recently slashed funding for adult dental coverage include Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Illinois, California and Washington.

Study Finds People with Developmental Disabilities Prone to Poor Dental Health

Monday I wrote about Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte’s decorative dental grill.
Today I’m writing about a phenomenon at the other end of the dental-care spectrum. Research published Wednesday morning in the Journal of the American Dental Association sheds light on the dental health of people whose intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDDs) may interfere with their care.
Researchers at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston examined a year’s worth of electronic dental records for 4,732 adults (ages 20-98) with IDDs. The patients’ dental care was provided through clinics, supported by the state of Massachusetts and run by Tufts, designed to provide dental care to people with such disabilities.