For many dental professionals, it's easy to tell that children habitually drink soda just by looking at their teeth.
When a dentist or hygienist asks children at one of the Athens County elementary schools what kind of soda they drink, a frequent answer is Mountain Dew, said Deanna Bragg, former coordinator for the Athens County Job and Family Services' Dental Health program.
Mountain Dew is full of sugar
Bragg said. The acid it just takes the enamel off the teeth.
Although consuming high-sugar drinks like Mountain Dew can lead to plaque buildup and tooth decay, oral health education and access to dental care can combat the damage.
On Sunday, however, Athens County - which the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services designates as underserved in the area of dental health providers - lost a link to dental care.
After almost 10 years of service, Job and Family Services eliminated its Dental Health program because of budget cuts, said Nick Claussen, community relations coordinator for Job and Family Services. The program costs about $60,000 annually.
The program helped Athens residents on Medicaid find dentists to accept their service plans in addition to providing education and dental care programs for elementary and middle school children.
There is a huge need for dental health education here in the area Bragg said. (Many people) don't understand the importance of preventative dental care.
Of the county's 19 licensed dentists, 16 accepted Medicaid patients in 2008. For every 814 Athens residents on Medicaid, one dentist accepts Medicaid patients, according to the Ohio Health Department's 2008 Ohio Oral Health Surveillance System report.
Many of the Athens dentists who accept Medicaid take only one of the three managed care providers that Medicaid users have to choose from, and some dentists take a limited number of Medicaid patients a month, said Bragg, who will continue working at Job and Family Services in child support enforcement.
Medicaid payback for services are not what they need to be for the dentist's office to be able to sustain themselves
Bragg said.
Although sliding-fee dental clinics provide services in some Ohio locations, such as Meigs County, Athens doesn't have a clinic that accepts Medicaid and provides care at a reduced cost for low-income people, said Debby Fulks-Larimer an oral hygienist and director of the Athens City-County Health Department's dental sealant program.
Access to care is what's the problem
Fulks-Larimer said. It's unfortunate that more dentists don't accept (Medicaid).
The dental sealant program provides free dental examinations and cleaning for students in Athens County schools and bills Medicaid for placement of dental sealants, which protect teeth from decay.
We do see a fair amount of decay
Fulks-Larimer said. Kids are so cavity-prone from the time the first tooth comes in until they reach puberty. I can't tell you how many kids I see in elementary school that tell me
'I just don't even have a toothbrush at home.'
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Culture
Meghan McNamara
