Half of the low-income families in the U.S, without health insurance, are unable to provide their children proper visits to the dentists for cleanings and check-ups. In a study based on information from the 2002 National Survey of America's Families, which included over 100,000 children and adults, researchers found that half of the uninsured children, in low-income families, had not had a preventive dental visit during the past year. This finding is in contrast to the discovery that only 20 percent of children with private dental coverage and 24 percent of children with public dental coverage, failed to visit the dentist within the previous year.
A corollary study focused on the difficulties that low-income face when bringing their children to the dentists. Factors such as fear of dentists and low expectations for good service impeded caregivers from taking their children in for cleanings and screenings. The authors, of the study, believe that providers such as Medicaid administrators and schools need to coordinate efforts to encourage parents to place dental health higher on their list of priorities.
Proper dental health is important to everyone, not just to those who can afford it. The bacteria that can be found by dentists can represent how much bacteria may be present in the body itself. Simply flossing may rid the teeth and body of a significant amount of bacteria and prevent gum disease that has been linked to the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and low birth weight babies.
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