It’s nothing to smile about.
Many Wood County families cannot afford dental care for their children, or cannot find dental offices
willing to accept Medicaid patients.
"We still see a lack of access for those individuals," said Wood County Health Commissioner Ben
Batey. "That’s still a spot where Wood County struggles."
About a decade ago, local officials who cared about public health and about children gathered around
several tables at the county health department to discuss the lack of dental care for local children. At
that point there was one dentist in the county who freely accepted Medicaid patients.
The problem wasn’t an easy fix with a clear culprit. Dentists are reimbursed at a lower rate by Medicaid
than through private insurance. And the Medicaid patients often have significant dental needs because
they have delayed treatment due to the expense.
"That’s the first thing people put off," Batey said. They wait till the pain is unbearable, and
the cost is escalated.
"Most providers can’t break even," Batey said of the reimbursement.
Since then, the county has offered a Band-Aid solution that has been a lifesaver to some residents. Once
a month, the Smile Express parks its RV-size mobile dental unit outside the Wood County Health District
to treat patients who otherwise would go without care.
Though it has made a difference in many lives, it is just scratching the surface of the unmet dental
needs in the county. Every time the health district conducts an assessment of the county, the lack of
dental services for low income residents ranks high on the list of needs.
"It’s an issue of access to care. They don’t have dental insurance and they can’t afford the out of
pocket expenses," Batey said.
Wood County is not alone.
Dental care is the top unmet health care need for nearly 157,400 children of all family incomes across
the state, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Almost 486,000 children in the state lack dental
insurance, and nearly 340,000 have never been to a dentist.
In Wood County, 21 percent of children have not had a dental appointment in the past year, while more
than 9 percent have never been to the dentist.
Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease among children 6 to 11 years old, affecting about a
quarter of all kids, according to the Centers for Disease Control. It worsens as they age, affecting
almost 60 percent of those aged 12 to 19 years. The Ohio Department of Health cites that more than half
of Ohio children have experienced tooth decay by the time they are in third grade.
And poor dental care doesn’t stop at the gums, Batey explained. Tooth infections can lead to problems
elsewhere in the body, and poor teeth can lead to bad food choices causing poor nutrition.
So in an effort to give county residents more than a once a month Band-Aid for dental services, the
health district is taking steps to add an onsite dental clinic to its wellness center. The funding isn’t
available now, but as the center expands, plans are being made to install plumbing in the facility for a
dental unit to save on expenses later. The facility would served all county residents in need –
regardless of their ability to pay, Batey said.
Now that will be something to smile about.